(April 15, 2016 at 4:35 pm)Ignorant Wrote: I'm no troll, and I have no idea what a sock is?

Ah, I see. 95 posts, joined up more than a year ago, and suddenly being on a oneliner thread starter spree. Excuse when I'm being skeptical.

This is a game of words, a trick of language. We merely call it existence but it holds no meaning for there can be nothing else to compare it to. Most of philosophy is a sham in that way.

(April 15, 2016 at 4:47 pm)abaris Wrote:

(April 15, 2016 at 4:35 pm)Ignorant Wrote: I'm no troll, and I have no idea what a sock is?

Ah, I see. 95 posts, joined up more than a year ago, and suddenly being on a oneliner thread starter spree. Excuse when I'm being skeptical.

You're excused! I guess only time will tell. You might look at the last thread I started about a year ago. It was a one liner then too!

Speaking of my one-liners, I've learned over the past year that starting threads with more than one sentence or an actual argument is ultimately not productive. I'd rather just ask a question, see how people answer it, and follow up.

(April 15, 2016 at 4:44 pm)Evie Wrote: Existence must exist by definition.

How could it not be necessary?

Nonexistent existence is the only alternative to existence, and that makes no sense.

Something must exist, and that something is existence itself.

I personally believe existence is also eternal.

So is existence a thing? What is the difference between necessary existence and non-necessary things exist-ing?

Existence is the totality of all existing things.

There must be something because "nothing" cannot exist.

A non-necessary thing is something that doesn't necessarily have to exist. In an indeterministic universe that could be anything.... except existence itself which must exist by definition. SOMETHING must exist.

For the record, I think the universe is deterministic and I think all existences are necessary.

(April 15, 2016 at 4:58 pm)Evie Wrote: Existence is the totality of all existing things.

There must be something because "nothing" cannot exist.

A non-necessary thing is something that doesn't necessarily have to exist. In an indeterministic universe that could be anything.... except existence itself which must exist by definition. SOMETHING must exist.

For the record, I think the universe is deterministic and I think all existences are necessary.

Fair enough. How does this view account for the results of the quantum fluctuation experiments? In other words, some things (like those particles in the quantum fluctuation experiments) begin and cease existing within a fraction of a second. How can that thing be considered necessary on your view?

Fair enough. How does this account for the results of the quantum fluctuation experiments? Clearly some things (like the particles which begin and then cease existing within a fraction of a second) do not HAVE to exist (or else they would continue existing). How does your view account for that?

(April 15, 2016 at 4:05 pm)Ignorant Wrote: Does anything exist necessarily? In other words, is there anything that simply cannot NOT exist?

Part 1. Things that are not unnecessary? Nice word play huh. Part 2. If it's a "thing" it exists, even if only a fabrication of the individual(s) mind. This does not necessarily equal reality. (just in case you're going down the god path)

(April 15, 2016 at 5:15 pm)mh.brewer Wrote:

(April 15, 2016 at 4:05 pm)Ignorant Wrote: Does anything exist necessarily? In other words, is there anything that simply cannot NOT exist?

Part 1. Things that are not unnecessary? Nice word play huh. Part 2. If it's a "thing" it exists, even if only a fabrication of the individual(s) mind. This does not necessarily equal reality. (just in case you're going down the god path)

What makes you think I am going down the god path?

Ok, is there any "thing" which doesn't merely happen to exist, but cannot help but exist?

Yes. Everything. Self-evidently.