Could a universe devoid of matter and energy exist?
Could a realm of totally empty space possibly exist? A place without matter, without energy, without particles or a single atom, with no singularity for anything to explode from but only a simple void, how could “existence” be determined? Obviously, this is purely a thought exercise because without an observer to recognize and identify the state of “being”, there’s no awareness to define it. Looking from the outside into what could only be described as an empty black bag of nothingness, how could such a place be measured? Is it big or small and relative to what standard with nothing in it to define any dimensions? Time would still exist if it is an intrinsic feature of “space” and inseparable from it, but what quality could define space with nothing occupying it to measure it against and no awareness to recognize it? It seems to follow that no version of “reality” is possible without, at minimum, a single partical or atom for it to contain. There can be no “container” without something for it to contain. In our universe, space isn’t “nothing” because it exists and contains all the “somethings” in our reality. It has certain features in that it can be warped by mass and its expansion can be measured relative to bits of matter moving apart to create “dimension”. Without something to compare nothing against, how could anything be? It seems therefore that for a universe to exist, it must have something in it to qualify it. But can there be any “something” without some form of awareness to acknowledge it? Otherwise, how can it be defined as “real”?
Does this mean then that matter/energy must be for a universe to exist and is therefore intrinsic to its manifestation? Wouldn't it also then follow that some kind of awareness would also be needed to define “something” vs “nothing”, thereby making consciousness an essential part of reality itself? After all, how could anything be without an observer to acknowledge that there is “something” as opposed to “nothing”? Doesn't this mean that no objective reality is possible without some awareness to acknowledge it's existence? As such, it seems both matter/energy and a consciousness to acknowledge it is not “nothing” are required for a universe to exist at all.