That 'nothing' is inconvenient applies the same in mathematics with zero. Why do we have to have a number we can't divide by? What is 0 to the power of 0? It's a special case we always need to worry about. But its inclusion in the number system is not in question.
And I remember my distress using a financial package being told that my unused zero value still MUST have a currency! My pocket is empty, how can it have a currency? If a farmers field is empty - must I say what it is empty of - cows, sheep, aardvarks?
I think worrying about inconsistency here is worrying about the inconsistency of the world we live in. 'Nothing' is a mysterious thing we need to accept and respect.
And I remember my distress using a financial package being told that my unused zero value still MUST have a currency! My pocket is empty, how can it have a currency? If a farmers field is empty - must I say what it is empty of - cows, sheep, aardvarks?
I think worrying about inconsistency here is worrying about the inconsistency of the world we live in. 'Nothing' is a mysterious thing we need to accept and respect.