Too much of nothing . . .

Professor Leon Horsten

(You were expecting somebody?)

University of Bristol

With a hat-tip to my friend Bill Vallicella, I read Leon Horsten's article on "Angst and the Empty Set: We can experience nothingness, but does it actually exist?" (Nautilus, Issue 16, August 28, 2014), which opens with an experience we've all had and that has long puzzled me:

Suppose you open your handbag one day expecting to find your wallet there, but don't. Do you literally see the absence of your wallet in your handbag? If you do, it means something important: Absences have a positive presence in your perception that you can grasp, independently from all ordinary things.

Think about the experience and the questions it raises, then read the article. Afterwards, check out Dylan's lyrics. And here's the song sung. Eh, you were expecting somebody else?