Non-substances

Non-substances refer to abstract or intangible concepts, qualities, or conditions that lack physical existence or material form. They are not matter, but rather represent ideas, relationships, events, or states of being. These entities exist in thought, perception, or the realm of ideas. They are not measurable, touchable, or directly observable in a way that a physical substance is. They are crucial to understanding the world, as they encompass everything from emotional states to mathematical principles, shaping experience and knowledge even without a tangible presence.

Non-substances meaning with examples

• Love, a powerful non-substance, influences our actions and relationships immeasurably, yet cannot be held. It is a feeling, a state of being. Similarly, hate and sadness, are further examples of powerful non-substances that deeply affect our decisions and perceptions, even without physical form.
• The concept of justice, a crucial non-substance in legal systems, guides societal structure, shaping laws and moral codes without existing materially. Ideas of freedom, democracy, and equality, other vital non-substances, are also impossible to physically grasp, yet profoundly impact society.
• A melody, a sequence of musical notes, is a non-substance; it’s an experience created in sound, not a physical object, yet it evokes feelings and tells stories. Similarly, a dance, a patterned series of physical movements, is another non-substance as it only exists during the performance.
• The passage of time, a fundamental non-substance, governs all events, marking history, influencing perceptions, and ordering our lives. Momentum, the physics based concept, is a non-substance; an abstract value that governs velocity, position, and impact.
• Imagination, a potent non-substance, fuels creativity, innovation, and dreaming, enabling the creation of worlds and stories unseen. Memory, another critical non-substance, allows the recollection of past events and experiences. Both reside in the mind, untouched.