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Follow Up to The Simplest Proof Against God Ever

Responding to Comments to that Article via Advanced Google Gemini

Tony Berard

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Adding -less to a word modifies it, right?

Yes, adding the suffix “-less” to a word modifies it by creating an adjective that means “without” or “lacking” whatever the original word represents. For example:

  • Care (noun) becomes Careless (adjective): without care
  • Home (noun) becomes Homeless (adjective): without a home
  • Hope (noun) becomes Hopeless (adjective): without hope

“-Less” is a common suffix used in English to express the absence of something.

Does it do this also to time and space?

Adding “-less” to “time” and “space” does create adjectives, but their meanings might not be as straightforward as simply “without time” or “without space”:

  • Timeless: While it can mean “without time” in the sense of “eternal” or “not affected by time,” it is more commonly used to mean “classic” or “ageless,” as in a timeless design or a timeless beauty.
  • Spaceless: This is less common, but it can mean “having no spatial dimensions” or “extremely cramped.” It can also be used figuratively to describe a feeling of being confined or trapped.

While “-less” does modify both words, the resulting meanings are more nuanced and context-dependent compared to other examples like “careless” or “homeless.”

So, timeless can mean eternal, but spaceless cannot mean without bound?

That’s a keen observation.

Yes, “timeless” can indeed mean eternal or not bound by time. However, “spaceless” does not typically mean “without bound” or infinite in the context of space.

While both words have a similar structure with the “-less” suffix, their meanings diverge…

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