What is There, Where is Nothing?
The two interpretations of time
(the measure of “when” with regard to
events Aristotle wanted; the entity
that runs even when nothing happens,
according to Newton), can be
repeated for space.
This is what we speak of when we ask “when?”
Space is what we speak of when we ask “where?”
If I ask “Where is the Colosseum?” One
possible answer is: “It’s in Rome.”
If I ask “Where are you?” a possible answer
might be: “At home.”
To reply to the question “Where is something?” means
to indicate something else that is around that thing.
If I say “In the Sahara,” you will visualize me
surrounded by sand dunes.
Aristotle was the first to discuss in depth and with
acuity the meaning of “space,” or “place,” and to
arrive at a precise definition: the place of a thing
is what surrounds that thing.” As in the case of time,
Newton suggests that we should think differently.
The space defined by Aristotle, the enumeration of
what surrounds each thing, is called
“relative, apparent, and common” by Newton, but he
calls space itself “absolute, true, and mathematical”
which exists even where there is nothing.
by Carlo Rovelli
from The Order of Time
Riverhead Books, NY, 2018
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