more from Alain Badiou

Single Idea 12326

[catalogued under 7. Existence / A. Nature of Existence / 3. Being / i. Deflating being]

Full Idea

In Set Theory, the primitive name of Being is the void, the empty set. The whole hierarchy takes root in it. In a certain sense, it alone 'is'.

Gist of Idea

The primitive name of Being is the empty set; in a sense, only the empty set 'is'

Source

Alain Badiou (Briefings on Existence [1998], 6)

Book Reference

Badiou,Alain: 'Briefings on Existence', ed/tr. Madarsz,Norman [SUNY 2006], p.98


A Reaction

This is the key to Badiou's view that ontology is mathematics. David Lewis pursued interesting enquiries in this area.