Beginning

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The beginning , also called the beginning , is the temporal or spatial starting point of a process or thing . This can be a one-off new beginning as well as a repeated beginning (e.g. beginning of the year).

A beginning can have several consequences . The opposite of the beginning is the end or the end, but not every beginning must necessarily lead to an end. An end can also result from several beginnings.

Temporal beginning

The beginning is the origin in a linear time course, with the time arrow pointing from beginning to end. It begins with the beginning of an act or action. Before starting a conscious action, there is a decision .

Spatial beginning

The spatial beginning of an object is often undefined. Linear objects such as threads or streets, on the other hand, are given a “beginning”. Structured information such as a text cannot be used without well-defined beginnings.

Beginning of the world

As a creation myth, the beginning of the world is the core of many religions . Within the natural sciences, cosmology deals with the beginning of today's universe. Their standard model sees the big bang at the beginning , which enabled the creation of space and time . However, even modern physics cannot make any clear statements about the beginning itself, beyond Planck's time .

Beginning in philosophy

The question of the beginning already played a major role in ancient philosophy . For the pre-Socratics it consisted primarily of the question of the arché as a question of the beginning of beings, of a primordial substance (= substance of which everything consists) or the primordial principle (= legality of (origin / decay) the world).

According to the Swiss philosopher Emil Angehrn , the beginning can be experienced in three different ways:

  1. As the opening of a free space
  2. Than releasing opportunities
  3. As the establishment of a ruling power

In contrast to the beginning, Angehrn defines the origin as something "to which we return, [...] [a] sheltering home or devouring primal power ".

Beginning in literature

In literature , great importance is attached to the beginning of texts, especially of epic works and in particular the beginning of novels , as this should have a large part in whether the reader is aroused the interest . The beginnings and especially the first sentences are the subject of scientific investigation.

In 2007, the Reading Foundation organized the competition The Most Beautiful First Sentence , in which “Ilsebill salted after” ( Günter Grass : Der Butt ) was chosen as this from over 17,000 entries .

The end of literary works also attracts great attention .

Beginning in biology

In biology , the question of the beginning of life plays a major role. It is discussed from what point in time one can speak of life on earth , i.e. from what degree of complexity a living being becomes from chemical processes .

A similar, but much more specific question arises in the question of the permissibility of abortions ; here it is discussed when, in particular, human life begins.

Quotes

literature

Individual evidence

  1. Dominik Busch: Understanding the question of origin. Published on October 2, 2008 in the NZZ . Retrieved July 30, 2010.
  2. See Sibylle Lewitscharoff : Vom Anfang published on April 30, 2010 in the NZZ . Retrieved July 30, 2010.

Web links

Wiktionary: beginning  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations