The logic of "nothing" from Homer to Heidegger

Add to your list(s) Download to your calendar using vCal

• Professor Alex Oliver, University of Cambridge
• Friday 11 October 2013, 17:00-18:00
• Little Hall, Sidgwick Site.

If you have a question about this talk, please contact Jenni Lecky-Thompson.

Professor Alex Oliver gives the Mind Senior Research Fellow Lecture. This lecture explores reasons to talk about nothing, suggesting two quite different ways to do it, both used in the common saying ‘nothing comes from nothing’. The logical pitfalls in this territory will be illustrated using jokes in sources ranging from The Odyssey through medieval parodic sermons to Through the Looking Glass. But the topic is no laughing matter: philosophers from the pantheon — Descartes, Locke, Hume, Heidegger — have all been found guilty of mishandling ‘nothing’ by taking it to be a name of something peculiarly mysterious. The second part of the lecture examines whether this verdict is just.

This lecture is free and open to the public. There is no need to book.

This talk is part of the Philosophy Events series.

This talk is included in these lists:

• History and Philosophy of Science long list
• Little Hall, Sidgwick Site
• Philosophy Events
• jer64's list

Note that ex-directory lists are not shown.