The Empty Set: Nothing or Something?

Writing for Nautilus, philosopher of mathematics Leon Horsten (University of Bristol) discusses the existence of nothingness.

Take the empty set: "Even though it looks like nothing at first sight," Horsten writes, "this...is on closer inspection seen to be not nothing. The empty set is like an empty shopping bag. But unlike a shopping bag, the empty set is abstract. And just like an empty plastic shopping bag is not nothing, an abstract empty shopping bag is not nothing, either."

Read the essay.