Nothing Matters: A Book About Nothing [Paperback]

"Nothing is not, in fact, a problem. Nothing isn't anything. Nothing just isn't" Robert Green writes. In his wickedly funny and enlightening book, Nothing Matters, he traces the birth of nothing from the concept of zero until the Arab numerals with its zero replaced the Roman numerals without it. Lively outlining the Church's opposition to the idea of zero (for it equates the heresy of nothingness) and how Pacioli (a humorless Franciscan monk) and his friend Leonardo da Vinci, slipped the idea of nothing into an acceptable legitimacy. After expounding the problems zero caused the Church, and vice versa - note that after 1 BC was 1 AD (no "0") Green discusses how zero was separated from nothing, and then proceeds to discuss how nothing works - in the arts, in religion, and finally, in philosophy. Quoting Pirsig from his "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance": If you talk about it you are always lying, and if you don't talk about it no one knows it is there." Nothing spread all over art world. Yves Klein held an exhibition of nothing -that was in 1958 - it consisted of an empty gallery. He was quoted, arrogantly stating, "I have discovered the void." In 2001, Martin Creed added lights that flashed on and off in an empty room - and won the Turner Prize. John Turner, whose abstract paintings such as "The Scarlet Sunset" was described by William Hazlitt as "All is without form and void. Someone said of his landscapes that they were pictures of nothing, and very like." Indeed, minimalism as an art form was a way in which artists had hoped to achieve nothingness. After the Mona Lisa was stolen in 1911, more people rushed to see the empty space where the painting used to be than the painting when it was there.

We are regaled with story after story about nothing in art when Green switches back to religion. With the thousands of religions, Green tells us, they all have nothing in common - literally. For faiths, "nothing is from where everything began." And so, Green tells us, Pope Pius XII opened a scientific conference in 1951 by declaring that the "Big Bang" theory bore witness to the existence of God describing (the Pope, that is) that from nothingness burst forth light - as God had said (as the Bible says) "Let there be light". Green believed that the scientific audience probably kept a discreet silence for he assumed that they would have realized as Green does, that the Papal pronouncement assumed that God existed. From Christianity to Buddhism, to Pantheism, and Hinduism, nothing works. He discusses the paradox in the Protestant work ethic - the closer we get to God the smaller, and closer we get to God; yet we are told that it is from nothing that everything becomes, and in this way, coming from nothing, we get closer to God the more we know and understand God. Life, it seems, is nothing without death. So Green has a lot to talk about death and nothingness.

That brings us to the closing chapter in which Green discusses how philosophers - from Parmenides and Aristotle to Descartes and Berkeley - struggle with emptiness and vacuum. Here Green had fun with the Berkeley tree-in-the-forest. George Berkeley posed this question: "If a tree fell in the forest and no one heard it, did the tree make a sound?" Sensing annoyance to the un-philosophical minds amongst us, Green poked further, "If a tree fell in the forest and no one knew about it, did the tree fall?" Well, as Green writes at the end of his book, "Nothing is impossible." Green attempts to draw a distinction between "Nothing" (absence of everything) and "Nothingness" (absence of something) and concludes that "since 'nothingness' is the absence of something, it is not absolute...Silence is an example of nothingness." The problem he says, is with "nothing". It's impossible to talk about or show. After he explains the mysteries of religious actions arising from the fear of "nothing" and the exasperations of philosophers over the same, he leaves his readers, panting, and full of nothing.

Simply fascinating! Every now and again one comes across a book which leaves a lasting impression and Nothing Matters does just this. I couldn't put Nothing Matters down. Who would believe that a narrative entailing `nothing' contains virtually everything? Surprisingly and rather paradoxically every theme and essence is shown to be inextricably tied in with nothing: religion, philosophy, history, art and psychology. The entire world is Ronald Green's oyster as he thrashes his way up and down the chronological scale in his pursuit of the intrigues of `nothing' and `nothingness'. This extraordinary - yet very readable book - navigates you through a historical and psychological journey across the western medieval world's fear of the association of zero with nothing, through to the informative and fascinating insights on abstract art and nothing, the enigmas and paradoxes in nothing and religion, as well as philosophy's approach to nothing. So much is covered in a relatively small and brilliantly crafted work; no stone is left unturned in the quest to unravel the centrality of nothing in the human tapestry. In an informative and often humorous style Green keeps you breathless as he contrasts western and eastern thought, medieval and modern world outlooks, Plato and Fawlty Towers, and through it all reveals the common thread of nothing. This is no one-off read; you'll find that Nothing Matters is such a wealthy resource of quotes, references, facts and ideas that it instantly sparks off any discussion. I dare anyone to purchase this book and prove me wrong!

A thoroughly good read that helps challenge whatever you may think about "nothing", especially considering the real difficulty with conceptualising it!

My favourite part of the book deals with the abusive relationship between nothing and religion. To have created something out of nothing is the most impressive feat for a deity, until of course you realise the absurdity of the claim and the contradictions that arise. I'm also in agreement with Green on the question of What Is Art?

The book should be of interest to everyone. For what is a philosophical work, there is very little jargon, and it is a very accessible. I found it very easy to dip in and out and it'll be top of my holiday reading list so I can absorb it cover-to-cover once more.

I was fortunate enough to pick up my copy of the book at a Skeptics In The Pub meeting in Cardiff where Ronald Green was giving a talk. He was a pleasure to meet to and I look forward to his next book.