Books About Emptiness: Popular Reads

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around popular-level books that address the concept of emptiness, particularly in the context of philosophy and science. Participants explore various titles and their relevance to the topic, including discussions on the nature of empty space and time.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • One participant inquires about popular books discussing the complete absence of anything, specifically emptiness.
  • Another participant mentions "The Philosophy of Vacuum" but notes it is not at a popular level, requiring knowledge of quantum field theory.
  • Several books are suggested, including "The Book of Nothing" by John Barrow, "The Nothing That Is" by Robert Kaplan, and "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife, with links to reviews provided.
  • Brian Greene's book, "The Fabric of the Cosmos: Space, Time, and the Texture of Reality," is highlighted for its discussion on the philosophy and science of empty space, particularly regarding Newton's spinning bucket and its implications for understanding empty space.
  • A participant expresses interest in the concept of an empty universe and notes that while Greene's book is informative, it does not address the speed of spacetime or provide equations for time in a state of no movement.
  • The participant also raises a question about the accuracy of atomic clocks, specifically cesium atoms, in relation to their movement through space and how that affects their measurement of time.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not appear to reach a consensus on specific popular-level books about emptiness, and there are multiple competing views regarding the complexity of the subject matter and the nature of time and movement.

Contextual Notes

Some limitations include the assumption that a popular-level understanding is sufficient for discussing complex topics like quantum field theory and the nature of time, as well as the unresolved question of how movement affects time measurement.

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Are there any (popular level) books that talk about emptiness (as in the complete absence of anything)?
 
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"The Philosophy of Vacuum"

It's a book, just google it.
 
Brian Green discusses the philosophy/science of empty space in the book:

The Fabric of the Cosmos: Space, Time, and the Texture of Reality

His handling of the Newton's spinning bucket in an absolute/empty space would give you some insight into "empty" space.
 
I had also been trying to find more information on an empty universe and was pointed towards Greene's book. While informative he never touched upon the actual speed of spacetime. He did a great job of explaining how movement in relation to objects or yourself relates to the perception of time. Unfortunately, I can't seem to find any information on an equation for time where there is no movement slowing time down. My brother has this fascination with atomic clocks and how accurate they are. I had mentioned that the cesium atoms aren't actually giving a true time as it is moving at thousands of miles an hour on Earth in a spinning galaxy which slows down each "tick". Upon this exclamation he asked what a cesium atom's "clock" would read if it wasn't traveling in relation to anything else. I can't find any book explaining time's actual "speed" though.
 

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