Throughout the history of Western thought, the Void has also been explored in the context of existentialism and nihilism, where it often symbolizes the absence of intrinsic meaning in life and the human condition's confrontation with nothingness.
In Western esotericism, aphairesis ("clearing aside"), or the via negativa, is a method used to approach the transcendent 'Ground of Being' by systematically negating all finite concepts and attributes associated with the divine.
This process allows mystics to move beyond the limitations of human understanding and language, ultimately seeking a direct experience of the divine as the ineffable source of all existence, beyond any specific attributes or definitions.
In Book IV of Physics, Aristotle contended that the Void (Greek: κενόν), understood as an absolute absence of matter, could not exist because it would contradict the natural laws governing movement and change.
Classical theologians like Thomas Aquinas integrated Aristotelian philosophy with Christian theology, arguing that God's omnipresence precluded the existence of a Void.
[9] In The Void (2007), particle physicist Frank Close discusses the concept of 'empty space' from Aristotle through Newton, Mach, Einstein and beyond (including the idea of an 'aether' and current examinations of the Higgs field).
[12] Nagarjuna's analysis in the Mūlamadhyamakakārikā (Fundamental Verses on the Middle Way) elaborates on Śūnyatā by deconstructing various concepts and phenomena to show that they lack intrinsic essence.
This cosmological framework is central to Taoist metaphysics, where Wuji symbolizes the limitless potential and the unmanifest state from which all things emerge and to which they ultimately return.
This understanding of the Void as the root of existence reflects a non-dualistic view, where the apparent multiplicity of the world is ultimately grounded in an ineffable, empty source.
[15] Zhou Dunyi, a Song dynasty philosopher, synthesized Taoist and Confucian ideas in his Taijitu shuo (Explanation of the Diagram of the Supreme Ultimate), where he describes Wuji and Taiji as interconnected aspects of the same reality.
Nihilism, particularly as articulated by Friedrich Nietzsche, presents a more radical confrontation with the Void, often characterized by the rejection of all moral, religious, and metaphysical beliefs.
Nietzsche famously declared the "death of God" in The Gay Science (1882), a metaphor for the collapse of traditional values and the rise of the Void as a central concern in modernity.
Philosophers such as Albert Camus and Jean-Paul Sartre explore the Void as a fundamental aspect of the human condition, where individuals must create their own meaning in a world that offers none.
Camus, in The Myth of Sisyphus (1942), elaborates on this existential dilemma by discussing the concept of the absurd—the conflict between humans' desire to find meaning and the universe's indifferent silence.
However, rather than succumbing to despair, Camus advocates for a defiant embrace of the absurd, where one finds freedom and meaning through personal choice and action, even in the face of the Void.
Sartre uses this concept to illustrate how the Void operates not only on an individual level but also in social interactions, where the awareness of others' perceptions can lead to feelings of alienation and nothingness.
According to relativity, space is not a passive backdrop but a dynamic field influenced by mass and energy, fundamentally altering the traditional notion of the Void.
The Void in Kafka's work often symbolizes the oppressive and incomprehensible nature of modern life, where individuals struggle against forces that they cannot understand or control.
[28] In more contemporary literature, the Void is explored in works like Don DeLillo's White Noise (1985), where the pervasive sense of emptiness and alienation in modern society is a central theme.
These rooms use mirrors and lights to create an illusion of infinite space, allowing viewers to experience the disorienting and transcendent qualities of the Void.
The film's minimal dialogue and expansive visual sequences emphasize the isolation and mystery of space, which serves as a metaphor for the human condition and the search for meaning in an indifferent universe.
The Void in this film is not just a physical space but also a symbolic representation of terror and the unknown, drawing on cosmic horror traditions to explore the fear of the incomprehensible.
Bertrand Russell, a prominent figure in analytical philosophy, expressed skepticism about metaphysical discussions that involve the Void, arguing that such concepts often arise from linguistic and conceptual confusions.
Russell posited that the idea of the Void or nothingness can be misleading, as it seems to ascribe existence to a non-existent entity, thereby generating paradoxes rather than resolving philosophical problems.
Lawrence Krauss's book A Universe from Nothing presents a scientific perspective on the Void, arguing that the quantum vacuum—an apparently empty space filled with fluctuating energy and virtual particles—requires a rethinking of what "nothing" truly means.