Questions tagged [existence]
Ontological and metaphysical questions about the study of existence, being and the structure of reality.
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What does "everything" mean?
For starter, I'm not a student in philosophy, but mathematics. I only have a general knowledge in logic and set theory, all in the context of mathematics. My question comes from a doubt I got while ...
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Could something prevent us from ever existing?
There are several ideas regarding the creation of our universe that suggest that our universe emerged from another one (eternal inflation suggesting our universe is the byproduct of an inflationary ...
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Circularity in definition of Real
I'm having a hard time understanding the adjective 'real'.
In some sense, we get that x is real iff x is in reality. So to say that y is a real boy, is to say that y is a boy, and y is in the ...
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Why do some philosphers including Russell paraphrase this sentence?
To say “Pegasus doesn’t exist” is to say “it is not the case that there is exactly one
x
which is a flying horse of Greek mythology”.
https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/nonexistent-objects/
“Pegasus ...
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Does every nation on Earth have a right to exist or do only peaceful nations have a right to exist?
I have been wondering lately as to what it is that gives every nation on Earth the right to exist.
Throughout human history, at any point in time, the Earth has been a mixed bag of nations that were ...
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Is the universe necessary?
The Contingency Argument of Leibniz states that if the universe has an explanation of its existence, that explanation is God. This introduces metaphysics. But could the fundamental fabric of spacetime ...
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Does knowledge of the scientific context aid consideration of philosophical questions?
Some fundamental philosophical questions are posed in the context of quantum physics. Does knowledge of the science aid consideration of these questions? Should the scientific background be explained ...
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Does the law of large numbers explain why quantum mechanics leads to statistical regularities?
When the question of why chancy effects in quantum mechanics lead to statistical regularities is proposed, it is often answered using the law of large numbers.
When you have particles that can be ...
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Why does something exist, and not nothing? [closed]
I have a seemingly easy looking question, but I couldn't unfortunately find an answer to it, or rather a definitive one, that leaves no doubts. The question is,
If there is a thing, what does it mean? ...
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Can only one object exist?
Suppose so, then: What exactly can distinguish it from not existing, if the object itself is all there is?
Any object trivially maps to itself via identity, so in order to deviate from the trivial ...
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Does the universe have an ultimate purpose? [closed]
Objective purpose is an alternative? Universal, fundamental purpose?
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Does Dissociative ego disorder challenge Descartes‘ „cogito-argument“?
In the 17th century Descartes set out for a new start in philosophy. Applying the method of systematic doubt he searched for a philosophical statement whose truth stands firm and cannot be questioned ...
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Is the hard problem of consciousness really a problem? [closed]
If consciousness is essential to the universe then there is no problem.
Integrated information theory posits that consciousness and its causal properties are identical. Leibniz's principle of ...
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Why does the universe exist? [duplicate]
The universe appears to have appeared from nothing. Why does something exist, and not nothing? This is about why, not how.
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Cogito Ergo Sum in Predicate Logic
Descartes' famously declared "cogito ergo sum (I think, thus I exist).
How do you translate this into predicate logic?
If T = I think and E = I exist, propositional logic has no problems (vide ...
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Does self transparency mean that human like existence, and nothing else, can be intrinsically valuable?
Does self transparency mean that human like existence, and nothing else, can be intrinsically valuable?
I was thinking maybe it is, becasue humans are capable of positing themselves as valuable, while ...
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Is there a law stating impermanence of machines?
All livings beings take birth, age, and die. This is well understood as a Truth in philosophy through inductive argumentation. That begs a follow up question: is there any formulation of a Law based ...
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Question Regarding Holes
What even are holes? Are they something or nothing? Do they even exist? Sure, you might think me saying that holes do not exist is idiotic but think about it. The existence of holes doesn't make sense ...
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Something and Nothing [closed]
What is something and what is nothing. They both need each other to exist. Why is there something but not nothing?
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Is the concept of (Total) Nothingness self-refuting?
I've been reading the SEP about Nothingness and it gives a good summary of the philosophy around "Why is there something rather than nothing?".
One of the confusions it notes is that "...
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Fixed/critical points of a nonexistence quantifier/function
Let j(∃0) = 1, and j(∃1) = 1, for a justification function j on ∃-sentences. So far, 0 is the initial critical point of the composite quantifier-function, and 1 is the initial fixed point.
So let ...
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Can any given hypothetical being suffer from not coming into existence, if we consider that there is an infinite variation of them?
The question sounds like a direct contradiction on its own, since a being that does not exist does not have the capacity to suffer. However, most cultures have evolved, for obvious reasons, towards ...
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Would the existence of an absolute mean not everything is in motion?
I have no idea if/how the two concepts are linked, that of everything being in motion and there being no absolute motion. I believe both are claimed by contemporary physics, and e.g. Descartes, and ...
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Can a person exist that isn't labelled with any "isms"? [closed]
I've seen people complain about "isms" as if they are above isms. But people don't get to choose their labels. If they believe that everything that isn't the norm counts as an ism and should ...
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What is Eternity’s Springboard?
From Camus’ Myth of Sissyphus; Philosophical Suicide. Here’s the paragraph [format edited]:
Now, if it is admitted that the absurd is the contrary of hope, it is seen that existential thought for ...
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An object exist means what? And what is the relation of it with space and time?
If something exist mentally & physically, in both forms it is understandable that we have a Idea of it in mind as well as in reality or physically but , what about things which exists in the form ...
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Would "piles" of existence-tropes allow for degrees of existence?
The SEP article on tropes discusses this notion of "piles" of tropes. The PI stands for primitivist individuation of tropes, meaning their individuation admits of no informative analysis or ...
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The set-or-class of things that don't exist
If it could be determinate, how many things don't exist, i.e. if there could be a set of nonexistent things, would the existence of other things follow "mechanically"?
If it's not ...
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Does Russell's objection to Meinongianism apply whenever we take the meta-version of an existence-predicate distinction?
The point of departure:
A third problem, one of Russell’s objections to Meinongianism (see [Russell 1905a, 1907]), turns on the fact that existence is, on Meinongianism, a property and hence figures ...
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If existence-tropes would be absurd, does this count against trope theory or the theory of existence-as-a-property?
I advert to the word "trope" as used in philosophy and not as used in narrative analysis (although I can see a reflection of either sense of the word, in the other use). The argument goes:
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Would a distinction between existenceₜᵣᵢᵥᵢₐₗ and existenceₙₒₙₜᵣᵢᵥᵢₐₗ diffuse Meinongianism and ontological arguments?
Or, really, any line of reasoning that seems to ideologically commit us to some sort of ontology that we have no clear-and-substantive relation with? This book from the Cambridge University Press ...
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Looking for a specific joke about arguments for Meinongianism
I remember reading a book (or a paper) some time ago, that had a line somewhat like this:
There are good arguments for Meinongianism. They just don't exist.
Now, I find this very funny and find ...
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Did Peirce hold that, when stripped to its absolute core, Descartes’ cogito could be summarized as: ‘There is an Idea’?
In ‘The Simplest Mathematics’ (1933), C.S. peirce elaborated:
It is a fundamental mistake to suppose that an idea which stands
isolated can be otherwise than perfectly blind. He professes to doubt
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Should X, if there’s no evidence for X, be given a non zero probability?
There may be no evidence that a fairy is sitting on a table. Many argue that one cannot prove a fairy doesn’t exist. Thus, many decide to attach an (infinitesimal) probability to it existing, as many ...
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Does time exist/is fundamental in such a scenario?
Suppose you have nothing, but only a thing X which doesn't change at all, is there time? How would you say how many seconds/units of time have passed when there is only the thing X i.e. static too, ...
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Is space fundamental?
Let's start with a definition of space, like
"Space is a three-dimensional continuum containing positions and
directions"
If we delve deeper into such definitions, we come across terms ...
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Is it better to exist than not to exist?
Once we already exist we want to continue existing, but before we existed we did not care if we existed or not. So what is better? Is it better to bring new life into existence? And the more we bring, ...
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What would a possible solution to the hard problem of consciousness look like?
The hard problem of consciousness is stated as-
'why objective, mechanical processing can give rise to subjective experiences.'
The reason I ask this question is that if we do not even know what a ...
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Can omnipotent beings exist? [duplicate]
Through an omnipotent being, all things are possible. Can such beings exist? For example, can the Flying Spaghetti Monster be omnipotent?
Prior discussion:
This question is supposedly relevant, but ...
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Is the hard problem of consciousness a question about why a person, as an entity which can experience, exists?
The hard problem of consciousness is stated as-
'why objective, mechanical processing can give rise to subjective experiences.'
If we assume the universe to be a Turing machine, it appears to me that ...
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Is there a philosophical concept that describes the notion that all permutations of human experience must exist simultaneously?
It's the idea that, basically, if we each have our own paths to walk, so to speak, and if they are all unique to each individual person, then that must mean every possible permutation of a "life&...
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Can existence be justified as ‘better’ than non-existence?
I’m relatively new to philosophy. Been doing some soul-searching, and asked myself ‘is good empirically better than evil’. Found a thread on here, where people pointed out that science cannot really ...
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Could deities/multiverses be the empty/trivial solutions to, "How and why does our universe exist in the way it does?"
Note: I am loosely following Nicholas Rescher (Axiogenesis) here, by qualifying "the existence of this world" as "the existence of this specific world," where, "Why is there ...
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Can we know that we are breathing analytically/a priori?
P1: I exist (perhaps from the cogito, or just some intuition) as a human being
P2: Human beings must respirate to exist
C1: I am respirating
Surely C1 is synthetic? Or, at least, something that we ...
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An Eternal Reward for Our Actions - Are There Strong Incentives to do Anything
I'm wondering:
Humans are mortal. Death seems to nullify any gains made by the self to the self.
Humans are subject to natural impulses towards actions (for example, we are compelled by natural ...
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What does existence correspond to outside of human consciousness? [closed]
The existence of something is a purely human concept. What does it correspond to outside of human consciousness?
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If Something Exists Does Everything Exist?
Has anyone argued this? I haven't formulated a coherent argument so I'm just throwing this out there to see if anyone has thought about this already. Intuitively I think it makes sense that everything ...
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Where does this concept of existence fall?
In exploring the questions of existence, I came to this concept. I am curious if anyone has any feedback or can point me to any other materials or ideas that relate to this? I am sure I am not the ...
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How is the term "existence" even defined for things other than your subjective experience?
Lots of philosophies talk about an objective world that exists outside of one's mind. Some philosophies even say that this objective world is the only thing that exists, and that subjective qualia are ...
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Traditionally in philosophy, anything that can be said to be is a being
True or false? Does this mean that tables and chairs, rivers and rocks, by virtue of the fact that they exist, can be called 'beings'?
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