“We cannot conceive of matter being formed of nothing, since things require a seed to start from… Therefore there is not anything which returns to nothing, but all things return dissolved into their elements.”
- April 26, 1564 – April 23, 1616
- Born in England
- Playwright, poet, actor
- Wrote many masterpieces such as “Hamlet,” “Romeo and Juliet,” and “Macbeth,” and had a great influence on English literature
Quote
“We cannot conceive of matter being formed of nothing, since things require a seed to start from… Therefore there is not anything which returns to nothing, but all things return dissolved into their elements.”
Explanation
This quote, attributed to Aristotle, addresses the concept of the eternal nature of matter and the impossibility of true creation or destruction. The first part, “We cannot conceive of matter being formed of nothing,” asserts that everything in existence must have a source or cause. Nothing can come into being without some kind of origin or foundation, a “seed” that sparks its formation. This reflects Aristotle’s belief in the principle of causality, where every effect has a cause, and nothing appears spontaneously without reason or origin.
The second part, “all things return dissolved into their elements,” suggests that while matter cannot be created from nothing, it also cannot be truly destroyed. Instead, it returns to its basic elements, which can be reorganized or transformed into something new. This idea aligns with the concept of material conservation—the belief that matter is eternal in some form, constantly changing but never truly disappearing. The transformation of matter into its constituent parts reflects a continuous cycle of change, rather than absolute destruction.
In the modern world, this idea can be seen in scientific concepts such as the law of conservation of mass in chemistry and physics, which states that matter cannot be created or destroyed in an isolated system. Everything, from the smallest particles to larger entities, is in a constant state of transformation. For example, when a tree decomposes, it may seem to disappear, but in reality, its elements are returned to the soil, where they contribute to new life forms. This reinforces the idea that while forms change, the material world is in an ongoing cycle of renewal and reformation, with nothing truly “vanishing” into nothingness.
