Is it possible to think of something that does not contain anything that already exists? If not, why? Examples.
- Flying alligators are animals.
- Flying straws are straws.
Is it possible for our thoughts to entirely base on objects that do not exist?
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1Do you mean anything in particular by »contain«? I'm having trouble to understand what exactly you're asking, and in which way your examples are specific to that. Is it whether it is possible to think of something that does not exist (yet), as in thinking of the future, mythical creatures, or logical impossibilities, like a square circle? It is also not very clear from the question in what way you relate it to cognitive science – maybe the philosophy SE would be a good place to ask, too?– huhCommented Apr 28, 2016 at 8:03
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Are you asking about imagining an object that does not exist in real life?– Alex StoneCommented Apr 28, 2016 at 19:06
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1I believe he is asking whether we can think of something that is completely new, without "piecing" existing objects together. For example, to imagine a flying straw, we probably do it by "sticking" wings to a straw, while both straws and wings exist in real life. What he is asking is that, whether we can imagine a flying straw without using this construction process that makes use of existing objects, but by pure creation of the object. To rephrase his questions, I believe he is asking the following question: "Is it possible for our thoughts to entirely base on objects that do not exist?"– Nick123Commented May 1, 2016 at 4:31
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@Nick123 yes that is what I am asking.– MCMasteryCommented May 1, 2016 at 16:26
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Nothing that we think of actually exists, so that is an easy one. "Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast." You could try meditating. Then you would see that we do not actually think. Or, you could study mathematics. Logic... Philosophy... Music... Art... Language... ... ...– user16869Commented May 3, 2016 at 14:13
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