...and an antagonist, there’s just nothingness and how its characters relate to it. There are a mere three real characters in the entire story, the younger waiter, the older waiter, and an old man. The younger waiter and older waiter, and how they relate to that nothingness is the main theme of the story, with the old man being the subject of their conversations. While the younger waiter attacks the old man in his talk with the older waiter, the older waiter doesn’t attack the old man, instead he defends him, because he can sympathize with him. The older waiter knows loneliness and despair, which is what separates these two characters. The story opens with the two waiters speaking to one another about an old man who’s drinking brandy at the cafe which they work. It’s learned through the waiters’ conversation that the old man attempted to commit suicide by hanging himself but his niece cut him down. It’s said that she cut him down for “fear for his soul.” It was as though they don’t even care about his current life, but his life after death. The younger waiter cannot comprehend the reason for suicide when you have money, like the old man does. To the young waiter, money can and will solve all problems. The young waiter is incapable of comprehending the idea of committing suicide over the despair of confronting nothingness. The older waiter in stark contrast to the younger waiter; fully understands the old man’s point of view. Nothingness is what brings the old man to the...
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...Define “Creatio Ex Nihilo.” In Latin, “ex nihilo” literally means “out of nothing.” It often appears along with the concept of creation, as in “creatio ex nihilo”, meaning “creation out of nothing.” It contrasts with the phrase “creatio ex materia” (creation out of some pre-existent, eternal matter) and with “creatio ex deo” (creation out of God.) Christians all believe that the world is created ex deo, however, whether the universe was created “ex nihilo” or from already present material is still a topic of discussion today among Christians and people of other beliefs alike. There is evidence in the bible supporting both creatio ex nihilo and ex materia. Despite the simplicity of defining the concept of “nothingness” (a pronoun denoting the absence of anything), it is still difficult to understand nothingness as a concept. It is very hard to describe something, without saying it is something. Therefore, even saying that a certain thing is nothing is technically describing it as something, which gets confusing after a while. For example: Blue is a colour, as are yellow and red. All three of these colours make up every colour tone we see. Theoretically, there was an absence of colour, what would be in its place, white or black? It is very difficult to imagine this, as all our life we have been able to distinguish what we have seen because of their colour(s). Even when we try to imagine a world without colours, it becomes impossible not to end up labelling the absence of colour...
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...blur of a bleak grey. This mind-numbingly blase world has become home and there is nowhere else to go and nothing can fix it. The end. This is it. The world that was is no more and there is no world to come. Nothing. What would you do? This is exactly what has happened to the main characters within Cormac McCarthy’s The Road. Set in a post-apocalyptic meaningless world McCarthy really emphasizes key aspects of why it happened and how there are real life applications to our present day world. There is no god, no hope,...
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...------------------------------------------------- Philosophy Western philosophy Some would consider the study of "nothing" to be foolish, a typical response of this type is voiced by Giacomo Casanova (1725–1798) in conversation with his landlord, one Dr. Gozzi, who also happens to be a priest, “ | As everything, for him, was an article of faith, nothing, to his mind, was difficult to understand: the Great Flood had covered the entire world; before, men had the misfortune of living a thousand years; God conversed with them; Noah had taken one hundred years to build the ark; while the earth, suspended in air, stood firmly at the center of the universe that God had created out of nothingness. When I said to him, and proved to him, that the existence of nothingness was absurd, he cut me short, calling me silly.[3] | ” | However, "nothingness" has been treated as a serious subject worthy of research for a very long time. In philosophy, to avoid linguistic traps over the meaning of "nothing", a phrase such as not-being is oftenemployed to unambiguously make clear what is being discussed. Parmenides One of the earliest western philosophers to consider nothing as a concept was Parmenides (5th century BC) who was a Greek philosopher of the monist school. He argued that "nothing" cannot exist by the following line of reasoning: To speak of a thing, one has to speak of a thing that exists. Since we can speak of a thing in the past, it must still exist (in some sense) now and from...
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...Nothing Western philosophy Some would consider the study of "nothing" to be foolish, a typical response of this type is voiced by Giacomo Casanova (1725–1798) in conversation with his landlord, one Dr. Gozzi, who also happens to be a priest, “ | As everything, for him, was an article of faith, nothing, to his mind, was difficult to understand: the Great Flood had covered the entire world; before, men had the misfortune of living a thousand years; God conversed with them; Noah had taken one hundred years to build the ark; while the earth, suspended in air, stood firmly at the center of the universe that God had created out of nothingness. When I said to him, and proved to him, that the existence of nothingness was absurd, he cut me short, calling me silly.[3] | ” | However, "nothingness" has been treated as a serious subject worthy of research for a very long time. In philosophy, to avoid linguistic traps over the meaning of "nothing", a phrase such as not-being is often employed to unambiguously make clear what is being discussed. [edit] Parmenides One of the earliest western philosophers to consider nothing as a concept was Parmenides (5th century BC) who was a Greek philosopher of the monist school. He argued that "nothing" cannot exist by the following line of reasoning. To speak of a thing, one has to speak of a thing that exists. Since we can speak of a thing in the past, it must still exist (in some sense) now and from this concludes that there is no such thing...
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...Ibalio 1 Charles Ibalio Mystery of God/Human Person Prof. Cifone On Meister Eckhart: The Culling of Worldly Thought What we have documented and observed from Meister Eckhart, among many things, is that he was a man of multiple names, of several titles, and of many roles. He was born in in 1260 in Gotha, in the Holy Roman empire, as Johannes Eckhart. In his young adulthood, he would join the Dominican Order through the Friars Preacher at the young age of fifteen. Studying, traveling, and teaching, he would live those years in some of the best academic settings possible, travelling from Germany and across Paris (McGinn 10). He would write one of his first works, The Talks of Instruction, at an age where his mastery in theology had not yet come to full fruition, yet it would reveal his sheer potential as a thinker, as McGinn notes: “It is indeed striking how little change there is in the principal structures of his thought between this exciting early work and the later, more sophisticated, sermons of his maturity” (10). Moving on to administrative roles for the following decade, he would be known as Eckhart von Hochheim O.P., and would often be compared to St. Thomas Aquinas, who was recorded to achieve similar feats during his time as a Dominican (11). Following his years as an administrative chair, he would become a VicarGeneral in Strasburg, sent to tackle the spreading “heresy” among Beguines, a religious community of women at the time (11)...
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...Hermesmann 1 Anna Hermesmann Nothing From Nothing: Concepts of Justice in King Lear Ex nihilio nihilfit—“nothing comes from nothing.” In the pre-Christian world of Shakespeare‟s King Lear, this doctrine rules as the actions of the characters prove futile and tragedy results. Lear fails to maintain order in his kingdom and his family; Gloucester loses his sight; and Cordelia, the only one who really loves her father, dies. Critics such as Samuel Johnson have argued that because of Cordelia‟s death, Shakespeare‟s ending is flawed, that he fails to follow the “natural ideas of justice” by allowing “Cordelia to perish in a just cause.” In 1689, approximately eighty years after Shakespeare completed the first text of King Lear, Nahum Tate published an alternate ending to the play in which Cordelia lives and eventually goes on to rule in her father‟s place. While this “happy” ending was performed as if it were Shakespeare‟s original for decades afterwards, it actually runs contrary to the original version of King Lear by applying Judeo-Christian human concepts of justice to a world that is not governed by a just God. In the nihilistic world Shakespeare creates, there is no just force to establish an objective morality, and therefore, the rules of right and wrong, and the consequences of each, are obsolete. Thus, because King Lear is set in a world in which the generally accepted rules of justice do not apply, Shakespeare‟s ending, including the death of the only truly virtuous character...
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...Nothing is no thing,[1] denoting the absence of something. Nothing is a pronoun associated with nothingness,[1] which is also an adjective, and an object as a concept in the Frege-Church ontology. In nontechnical uses, nothing denotes things lacking importance, interest, value, relevance, or significance.[1] Nothingness is the state of being nothing,[2] the state of nonexistence of anything, or the property of having nothing. Contents[hide] * 1 Philosophy * 1.1 Western philosophy * 1.1.1 Parmenides * 1.1.2 Leucippus * 1.1.3 Aristotle * 1.1.4 John the Scot * 1.1.5 G. W. F. Hegel * 1.1.6 Existentialists * 1.2 Eastern philosophy * 2 Language and logic * 3 Mathematics * 4 Computing * 5 Physics * 6 See also * 7 Notes * 8 References * 9 External links | [edit] Philosophy [edit] Western philosophy Some would consider the study of "nothing" to be foolish, a typical response of this type is voiced by Giacomo Casanova (1725–1798) in conversation with his landlord, one Dr. Gozzi, who also happens to be a priest, “ | As everything, for him, was an article of faith, nothing, to his mind, was difficult to understand: the Great Flood had covered the entire world; before, men had the misfortune of living a thousand years; God conversed with them; Noah had taken one hundred years to build the ark; while the earth, suspended in air, stood firmly at the center of the universe that God had created out of nothingness...
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...as all that there is. He states that: “I alone exist.” (Gardner 22). He seems to revel in his perceived condition and celebrates it. But, his self-conception of nothingness and void is what makes him monstrous. It quite literally sucks the soul out of everything. It is a vacuum, merely taking and remaining empty. Furthermore, this stifling darkness, of which no light can penetrate, envelops the entirety of Grendel. The Dragon’s immolating teachings seared through Grendel’s soul and left nothing but darkness. The Dragon shaped Grendel to be this way. In this way, his entire influence upon Grendel turned him into a void monstrosity. Grendel, through his interactions with the Dragon, crystallizes into a monstrous entity of...
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...Nothing In old American Western movies, black is the color worn by the antagonist while white represents the purity and goodness of the hero. While the scenarios and dialogue of Western films may be archaic, the symbolism of light and dark colors is still prevalent today; the connotations of a dim corner or a black cat contrast sharply against white images of angels or wedding brides. Evolutionally, humans view the sun, the most basic source of food and thus survival, as a crucial source of light, warmth, and protection. With darkness comes coldness and a fear of the unknown. In the dark, man is reminded of how alone and insignificant a life is in the vast universe. Ernest Hemingway often employs darkness in his works to convey the meaningless of existence that looms over man. Not totally void of optimism, his stories also present rays of hope that reach the reader often through literal descriptions of light. Such is the case in Hemingway’s short story, “A Clean, Well-lighted Place,” which focuses on two waiters at a café. The young waiter impatiently hurries along the last customer, an old man drinking alone, while the older waiter sympathizes with the perceptibly forlorn man. What appears to be a tale of despair and loneliness actually offers hope and strength through a quiet hero. Hemingway’s “A Clean, Well-lighted Place” focuses on the nothingness of existence and invokes in the reader a grim realization of the inevitable loneliness of life. However, hope accrues...
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...There's nothing to say about nothing. Still, some people make a fuss about it. Among spiritual seekers, there's a lot of talk about "becoming nothing". On this site about nothing, we're not going to talk about "nothing", because "nothing" can't be talked about. When people talk about "nothing", they're not really talking about nothing, they're talking about something. It's not a real nothing, it's a "nothing" they can hold in their mind. It's a nothing that feels like something, perhaps a black hole, perhaps a lonely place. They have words for it, perhaps "void", "emptiness", "nothingness". Nothingness is not nothing. It comes and it goes, so it's got to be something. You can look at it. You can hold it. You can throw it out. And when you throw it out, what's left?... ...And that's all we're going to say about that. This little introduction has nothing to do with the articles on the site. It's just here to confuse the philosophers and perhaps intrigue a few people with a genuine interest in nothing. This is a site about nothing. We hope you enjoy it. Perhaps you'd like to start with a 25-second playful video clip about a show about nothing? love numbers. And I have always loved computing. That's the whole reason computers have had such a strong pull on me since 1981, when my mom's boyfriend decided I should have my first computer: a Sinclair ZX 81. I would like this section to be about numbers, computing and computers. At the moment, it's all about computers...
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...Twentieth Century Philosopher Biography of Jean Paul Sartre University of Phoenix Veronica Byro, Jamie Davis, Janene Long, Michael Menendez, Jorens Pierre PHI/215 October 12, 2011 Kelley Armitage Jean Paul Sartre Jean-Paul Sartre was a French philosopher, novelist, and playwright in the 20th Century. Jean-Paul’s key concepts that compromised his beliefs were known as the best philosophy back in the 20th Century. Jean-Paul believed in individual rights which led to Political Philosophy. Sartre’s was a Marxist that set his political economic theories. Jean-Paul’s main ideas, was that every human being are subject to their own rights and deserve to be free; this enhanced his theories. However, Sartre’s work and beliefs made him best known as an Atheist; a believer of his own thoughts. Mankind is responsible for his own actions, stated by Sartre. The Existentialism Jean-Paul Sartre, took the label that people placed on him and two other philosophers Heidegger and Albert; existentialists. Sartre was the only one out of the three to take to this label, because he felt as if he would then be allowed to define it; this was a step closer to him reaching his dreams in philosophy. The main key concept that was analyzed by Sartre is that existence proceeds essence, basically meaning that all human beings are defined by their own actions. Humans outcome on life are based on the choices that we make and all humans...
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...Theme To understand a story a person must first realize the theme behind the story. The theme can be defined as the overall purpose or reason. A theme describes a central idea, thought or point of discussion that the author wishes or intends to communicate to the audience. Such a point of discussion can be presented in a literary work, song or a movie. Therefore, the theme is the message that is presented as the moral lesson in a story. Many stories were written to convey a message to their readers whether it is for entertainment purposes or educational enlightenment. (dspsweb). Themes can be used to provide the main idea or motif of a piece of work. Kate Chopin's "The Storm", Ernest Hemingway's "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place" and Kurt Vonnegut Jr.'s "Harrison Bergeron" were all reviewed for the purpose of theme. Understanding the theme behind each of these pieces is important when analyzing the author's true purpose for their piece. Kate Chopin's “The Storm" was a piece designed to show how the events in life can have profuse effects on tomorrow but if all is well when "the storm" passes, then tomorrow may continue just as today did. “So the storm passed and everyone was happy”. (Kennedy and Gioia 100). The storms that Kate spoke of served both superficial and realistic natures. The storms faced by people each and every day can be viewed through Chopin’s perspective of troubled weather. The two characters continued to confess their suppressed desires for each other...
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...Rothko chapel – NOTHINGNESS MATTER The Rothko Chapel is one of a modern of art’s object to prove how the simplicity within art objects and space, work together to send the message to the viewers. How the spatial memory, evokes emotion, sets up parameter and boundaries can govern the way people see and feel the space. Introduction The processing of visual sensation into perception of the world around us involves a complex interaction of the eye and brain. (Lawson 1999, p. 61). According to this quotation, people tend to experience the space to feel the ambient. When memories take part, it is responsible for retaining visual shapes, colors, information about locations and movement (Spatial memory n.d.). This allows one to remember where an object is related to another, recall the information about the object that also can produce their feelings about the object. There are many elements triggered by the memory that are able to evoke emotion, creates boundary and sets up parameter in perceiving the space. All circumstances evoke as an emotion for its viewers, such as happiness, awe, excitement, and fear. It justified by the situation when people are in a place which they do not like, a gallery with all blank paintings for example, they say: "this does nothing for me." I believe what they are actually saying is that the paintings did not evoke any sort of emotion in them. However, it does not mean that the paintings are bad, because it is not about the object itself but...
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...are baseless and that nothing can be known or communicated. It is often associated with extreme pessimism and a radical skepticism that condemns existence. A true nihilist would believe in nothing, have no loyalties, and no purpose other than, perhaps, an impulse to destroy. While few philosophers would claim to be nihilists, nihilism is most often associated with Friedrich Nietzsche who argued that its corrosive effects would eventually destroy all moral, religious, and metaphysical convictions and precipitate the greatest crisis in human history. “Nihilism" comes from the Latin nihil, or nothing, which means not anything. It appears in the verb "annihilate," meaning to bring to nothing, to destroy completely. Early in the nineteenth century, Friedrich Jacobi used the word to negatively characterize transcendental idealism. Nihilists denounced God and religious authority as antithetical to freedom. By the late 1870s, a nihilist was anyone associated with clandestine political groups advocating terrorism and assassination. 2. Nihilism, in fact, can be understood in several different ways. Political Nihilism, as noted, is associated with the belief that the destruction of all existing political, social, and religious order is a prerequisite for any future improvement. Ethical nihilism or moral nihilism rejects the possibility of absolute moral or ethical values. Instead, good and evil are nebulous, and values addressing such are the product of nothing more than social and...
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