Can there be such a thing as nothing?

[QED]

If we try to clear our minds and use them to conceive of nothingness it almost hurts. It's as if it's an impossible feat for the imagination. Logic and language fully support this notion. How can there be such a thing as nothing? Is this logical contradiction just a play on words or could it be the reason why everything exists?

[QED]

The universe appears to be fine-tuned. We know however that any other tuning would not support us as we are here and now so we have only two possibilities

1) It was set up carefully, on purpose, by a supernatural entity who wished to create a universe in which we would eventually be able to arise.
2) It was the product of a natural process capable of producing a wide range of universes one of which we currently enjoy.

Is there any other option?

Yes, perhaps it was set up carefully, on purpose, by a supernatural entity who wished to create a universe in which we are a necessary or unforseen side effect.

Ah, thank you Curious. A third way that would be indistinguishable to us from proposition (1) if were were to infer god from the natural world alone.

[Cathar1950]

Curious wrote:

Yes, perhaps it was set up carefully, on purpose, by a supernatural entity who wished to create a universe in which we are a necessary or unforseen side effect.

You might be right. Necessary or an unforseen side effect would seem to have it place When we have(acording to the story)Satan and his angles and demons. How are they God creation and purpose or are they in the same boat? As humans and how and why?.
I am not against a God winging it.

[Curious]

Curious wrote:

Yes, perhaps it was set up carefully, on purpose, by a supernatural entity who wished to create a universe in which we are a necessary or unforseen side effect.
With out getting into what a unnatural world would be.

Is this emplyed when we have(acording to the story) Satan and his angles and demons. I am not against a God winging it.
ow would you test an inference from unnatural world.
Dreams, Visions, and voices might get you put away or at least medicated.

I don't wish to appear pedantic but you seem to have appended my quote with a reference to the unnatural world. I have a feeling that it could just be due to your misplacement of the end quote.

[Cathar1950]

I have corrected it Curious I didn't edit yours thanks.
i have done worse. Thought I was getting the hang of the quote.
I was hoping we were a nice side effect.
The other reference was to QED. Which I left out.
QED wrote:

if were were to infer god from the natural world alone.

How would you test an inference from the unnatural world.
Dreams, Visions, and voices might get you put away or at least medicated.
I hope I got it right Curious. sorry about that. thanks
I would hope we would be a pleasant side effect.

What would be an non-natural world?
Can we infer God?
Where, When, and How can we infer God?
God seems to be a personal social construct, interpreted thru our culture and experiences both personal and shared.
It may go beyond it. I don't know how I could tell the difference.

[lifeisboring]

For everything, there's an opposite. "Nothing" just happens to be the opposite of "something".

But of course, like if you suck all the "stuff" out of a box, there's still something in the box[/i]