Ongeschreven.

To analyze the existence of something—and thus our own existence—in a universe that is infinitely large and in which most of it consists of nothing, we must begin with an exploratory mathematical approach. We assume that the “something” in the universe is negligible compared to the all-pervading “nothing.” This paradox raises a deeper question: if “something” is so small compared to “nothing,” does that “something” have any meaning at all, and can we speak of real presence?

Step 1: The ratio of something to nothing

To understand the relationship between “something” and “nothing” in the universe, we establish a relationship between the parts of the universe where “something” is (matter, stars, planets, etc.) and the parts that are just empty. Suppose the universe is infinitely large, while the “something” in it has a finite value. We can approximate this mathematically with the following relationship:

Ratio = the limit of V→∞ where V represents the volume of the universe, which in this model approaches infinity, and the presence of “something” (matter) remains finite. We write this ratio as follows:

Ratio = lim(V to infinity) of (something divided by nothing).

As V approaches infinity and “something” has a finite value, the fraction approaches zero:

Ratio = lim(V to infinity) of (finite divided by infinity) = 0.

This implies that, within the framework of the infinite universe, the presence of “something” is negligible compared to “nothing.” Mathematically speaking, this ratio is zero, and one can say that “something” is a fraction so close to zero that it can hardly be called meaningful.

Step 2: The real size of “something”

Let us develop this idea further and analyze the presence of “something” quantitatively. If the presence of “something” in the universe is negligible and this value is therefore close to zero, the question arises whether “something” has any measurable value at all. We can represent “something” by a value, which we call E (for “entity”) and approximate it to the value zero, as concluded earlier:

E = the limit of the ratio of “something” divided by “nothing” as this ratio goes to zero.

This approximates mathematically that the value of E is in fact unmeasurable, because the presence of “something” completely vanishes against the infinite “nothing.” The value of E thus amounts to zero, and in the context of our universe this means that “something” has no substantial value. We can therefore assume that the entity we experience as “something” is not in fact a real quantity within this infinite system.

Step 3: The conclusion that we – and therefore this article – do not exist

If we follow the reasoning that the value of “something” is nihilistic in the context of the infinite universe, an intriguing philosophical conclusion emerges: anything we consider to be “something,” including ourselves, our thoughts, and even this article, is not a truly existing part of the infinite universe. This leads to a sound conclusion: if “something” is immeasurably small within the “nothingness” of the universe, then it does not, in a strict mathematical sense, truly exist.

Therefore, if we do not exist, neither do our actions, thoughts, and – crucially in this context – this article. In this imaginary world, this article is but a negligible and temporary illusion that inevitably dissolves into nothingness.

From this perspective, and within the context of an infinite universe, we have shown that the presence of “something” is actually zero. This leads to the conclusion that this item is not a real entity either.

So, if this article doesn't actually exist, we can end with the ironic observation that what you just read was never actually written.