Something vs Nothing: A Model and Proof of Concept
Something vs Nothing: Understanding the Emergence of Complex Stances By John Gavel Introduction: Why Does Anything Exist at All? Have you ever wondered why the universe isn’t just “nothing”? Or why systems around us tend to form patterns of “something” rather than collapsing into uniform emptiness? This question might sound philosophical, but we can explore it with a simple mathematical model that captures the tension between “something” and “nothing” at every point in a network. Imagine a network — like a social network, a physical system, or even a conceptual web — where each node can take one of two stances: “something” (meaning presence, existence, or a positive assertion) or “nothing” (absence, void, or negation). Each node also has its own local preference or bias, based on evidence or context, which nudges it toward one stance or the other. But these nodes don’t exist in isolation: they are connected, influencing each o...