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Position:Home>Philosophy> What defines existance (a philosophical question)?Question: What defines existance (a philosophical question)!? Essentially what does and does not exist!? Is our belief that somethinge exists really cause it to exist!? Such as a Schizophrenic would say a flying moose is in your back yard, although that is not true to you!. If someone never sees, hears, can feel, (etc)!. Then would all things cease to exist!? It all comes down to the question by saying if we stop believing we do exist do we cease existing!?
(this question will confuse allot of people)!.Www@QuestionHome@Com Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: Your first question is great, your elucidation not so much!. There are many ways in which something can be said to exist, it's not as simple as being able to file things into two categories "Exists" and "Does not Exist", also there are many complexities to be explored as to defining boundaries!. In order to have an interesting discussion of whether or not something exists, we need to be able to define the boundaries of that thing, or else we are left with the vacuous notion that "Everything exists which exists" and we are tautologically left with unsatisfying tripe!. The most simple definition of existence is this: Taking up space through time!. Anything which does this "Exists"!. If it takes up space in time, if it is a Four-Dimensional Object, then it exists!. However, there are points of view which can lead us to say that "ordinary objects" (such as tables, baseballs, rocks, sticks etc) do not exist, because these are merely animal perceptions of organized matter!. The only thing which can truly be said to exist are the "atoms" or "quanta" and the larger objects are actually just "Atoms Arranged Rock-wise", rather than Rocks Existing!. Even if we do not want to go that far, we don't exist in this way!. There is nothing which takes up space through time and can be called "I"!. Instead what we are is a pattern of activation, which by definition is in constant change!. The only way that consciousness can "Exist" is through constant change!. So there is nothing that remains the same through time, but rather the way in which we can be said to Exist is through a contiguous causal chain of ever-changing pattern!. In one manner of speaking it can be true to say "Everything Exists" and another perspective can lead us to say "Nothing Exists" and there are middle ways which can lead to some things properly being said to exist and some not to!. It all depends on how you choose to define the concept of existence!. The trick is, to choose a definition and apply it consistently, Exist is a very easy word on which to equivocate!.Www@QuestionHome@Com I think therefore I am!.Www@QuestionHome@Com everything that your mind can perceive can exist!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.outside of that nothing canWww@QuestionHome@Com well the god question essence vs existance or existance vs essence then if one thinks it exists then is that in itself is worthy of existance!? blank vs blankWww@QuestionHome@Com Man is nothing more than a field, which exerts a force on particles that possess the property of electric charge, and is in turn affected by the presence and motion of those particles!.Www@QuestionHome@Com Anything that can be observed, demonstrated or create an impact on an object that has already been proven to exist!.Www@QuestionHome@Com well there are so many dimentions what doesnt exist in ours doesnt say it doesnt in another !.!.Www@QuestionHome@Com Existence is the ability to have measurable or observable attributes!. If something doesn't exist it cannot be measured or observed!. If it can be measured or observed it exists!. To express this more rigorously: X exists if and only if it has attributes that can be measured or observed, directly or indirectly!. I don't mean that if WE don't measure it or observe it it doesn't exist!. Things can exist that we are not aware of but once we become aware of them we become aware because of measurements or observations!. For example, electrons can be measured and observed both directly and indirectly, so electrons exist!. Unicorns and angels don't exist because we cannot measure them or observe them!. People who say they have observed unicorns or angels are observing a figment of their imagination, which can be observed, by them, and even measured!. But it is the figment of their imagination that exists and not the unicorn or angels!. Perhaps you might want to call the figment an angel or unicorn but you are just confusing things if you do and giving a special status to your imagination that is not shared or reproducible by anyone else!. You added, "Or, so to speak the belief that God exists causes God to exist!?" No!. I don't see any reason to think that thinking about something, an idea or concept, causes it to exist!. Just thinking that something exists does not include the measurement or observation of any attributes!. Imagining a God does not create a God!. And, amusingly, no theology would accept such a definition of a God!. What exists is your imagination and your ability to think of things that don't make sense!. What you are doing is combining thoughts together as if you were building a sentence!. But just as you can build sentences that make no sense, you can also build thoughts that make no sense!.Www@QuestionHome@Com i think the meaning of the word "exist" must first be determined!. the Oxford English Dictionary (unabridged) was where i started when i was a phil!. major!. the word means different things to different people!. the very fact that it is an identifiable assembledge of letters of the alphabet would suggest the word 'exist' is a thing!.!.!. just like santa and the Easter Bunny!. contemplation of an appropriate definition can, in and of itself, be illuminating!.!.!. then again it can be little more than mental masturbation!.!.!.Www@QuestionHome@Com |