Serendip is an independent site partnering with faculty at multiple colleges and universities around the world. Happy exploring!

Reply to comment

ecollier's picture

..no thing can come

“There is nothing new under the sun” – Ecclesiastes 1:9

“The only lasting truth is change,” – Octavia Bulter, Parable of the Sower 

These two quotes, although meant to be opposites of one another, can both be understood. I believe that they both have accuracy. Even if everything is always changing, everything under the sun is made up of all the same materials. Nothing is ever truly new if no thing can come from nothing. What I mean is, no substance, material, etc. is created out of nothing. It is all created/formed/metamorphosed/whatever from something that was already in existence. Energy is never created or destroyed… it only changes form. So, yes, change is always happening, but at the same time, there is nothing new. 

An exception to this might be non-material “things,” such as thought, maybe. Can thought come from nothing? But then again – can thought be truly uninfluenced by other thought?

 

Reply

To prevent automated spam submissions leave this field empty.
9 + 1 =
Solve this simple math problem and enter the result. E.g. for 1+3, enter 4.