Doctor John wrote:
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nothing

"""
many philosophers hold that the word "nothing" does not function as a 
noun: there is not any object it refers to.
"""

That's not what makes something a noun. :-) A noun is something that is 
plural, can be made plural, or can be made possessive.

If the philosophers were right, it would seem there is no part of speech 
that the word "nothing" occupies. Plus, sentences like "what is stored 
in the box?" would be nonsense if everything were outside the box, as 
the normal answer "nothing" would be referring to "nothing".  (I.e., if 
"nothing" is not a noun because it doesn't refer to any object, then any 
word that refers to the concept of "nothing" would also not be a noun.)

Those wacky philosophers never manage to get their levels of abstraction 
right.

-- 
Darren New / San Diego, CA, USA (PST)
  Helpful housekeeping hints:
   Check your feather pillows for holes
    before putting them in the washing machine.

Post a reply to this message