On Fri, Aug 12, 2022, 3:33 PM John Clark <[email protected]> wrote:
> On Fri, Aug 12, 2022 at 3:09 PM Jason Resch <[email protected]> wrote: > > *> If there were zero objects in the universe then the concept of zero >> would necessarily exist to preserve the property of the number of physical >> objects in that nothing. If the concept of zero exists then at least 'one' >> abstract entity must exist, the one number zero. Now 'two' abstract numbers >> exist, 'one' and 'zero'. Et cetera.* > > > You're making the argument that there must be more than just one thing in > the universe and therefore it can not consist of infinite unbounded > homogeneity, and therefore the universe is not nothing, and therefore the > universe is something, and therefore it exists. And that's all very fine > but it's irrelevant because your claim was that 2+2=4 would exist even if > the universe did not. I maintain it would not. I'm certainly not saying > 2+2 =4 has no meaning, I'm saying it has a meaning precisely because the > universe exists. I'm saying that physics is more fundamental than > mathematics. > You defined nothing as a universe of zero physical objects. And have said a number N is meaningless without at least N things in that universe to count. Is zero meaningless in a universe with zero physical things? You might argue that it is, but I would say zero is necessary for the operation and preservation of such a universe of zero objects. Otherwise without some rule saying "the number of physical objects is and shall always be 0" what is to stop the nothing from becoming a universe having a non zero number of objects? I don't see any way from escaping the necessity of rules and the number zero, for a nothing of the kind you describe. Not do I see a way for zero to exist apart from all the other numbers. Zero has properties, including factors. The factors of zero include all integers. Jason > > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Everything List" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/everything-list/CA%2BBCJUiKM_%2Bodk_qVhaB%3DobMk8gONaNo5-%3D_hPrT8EbMMa3R-w%40mail.gmail.com.
