void
Quick Summary
In philosophy, "void" can refer to several concepts. In mysticism and religion, it signifies a state of "pure consciousness" or an undifferentiated reality where the mind is emptied of specific thoughts and images. This concept is found in traditions like Buddhism with sunyata (the Void) and in Taoism with xu.12
In a more general philosophical context, particularly in metaphysics, the nature of "existence" itself is debated. Some philosophers question whether existence is a property, if it's a trivial concept, or if it means the same thing in all applications.34
Atomistic theories also engage with the idea of the void, considering whether empty space is necessary for atoms to move and interact. In common usage, "void" can simply mean empty space or a lack of something.567
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atomismAtoms as lumpish corpuscles…accept the existence of the void (empty space) as a real entity in which the atoms can move and rearrange themselves. By accepting the void and by admitting a plurality of beings, even an infinite number of them, Democritus seemed to abandon—even more than Empedocles did—the unity of being. Nevertheless,…
Read More…accept the existence of the void (empty space) as a real entity in which the atoms can move and rearrange themselves. By accepting the void and by admitting a plurality of beings, even an infinite number of them, Democritus seemed to abandon—even more than Empedocles did—the unity of being. Nevertheless,…
Read More- atomismThe 17th century
…as the existence of the void and the indivisibility of the atoms, as noted above.
Read More…as the existence of the void and the indivisibility of the atoms, as noted above.
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Western philosophyPluralistic cosmologies…does in a way exist—as empty space. There are, then, two fundamental principles of the physical world, empty space and filled space—the latter consisting of atoms that, in contrast to those of modern physics, are real atoms; that is, they are absolutely indivisible because nothing can penetrate to split them.…
Read More…does in a way exist—as empty space. There are, then, two fundamental principles of the physical world, empty space and filled space—the latter consisting of atoms that, in contrast to those of modern physics, are real atoms; that is, they are absolutely indivisible because nothing can penetrate to split them.…
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Democritus…asserted that space, or the Void, had an equal right with reality, or Being, to be considered existent. He conceived of the Void as a vacuum, an infinite space in which moved an infinite number of atoms that made up Being (i.e., the physical world). These atoms are eternal and…
Read More…asserted that space, or the Void, had an equal right with reality, or Being, to be considered existent. He conceived of the Void as a vacuum, an infinite space in which moved an infinite number of atoms that made up Being (i.e., the physical world). These atoms are eternal and…
Read More- Straton Of Lampsacus
…for his doctrine of the void (asserting that all substances contain void and that differences in the weight of substances are caused by differences in the extension of the void), which served as the theoretical base for the Hellenistic construction of air and steam engines as described in Hero of…
Read More…for his doctrine of the void (asserting that all substances contain void and that differences in the weight of substances are caused by differences in the extension of the void), which served as the theoretical base for the Hellenistic construction of air and steam engines as described in Hero of…
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