Do you exist in real life?

Do you REALLY exist?


  • Total voters
    29
What form he is in is relevant.

If he is merely a character in something's dream, then in reality he does not exist. He is just a thought of something that does exist.


I mean, if just being a thought translates to existence then there would be no question that all of here on the board exist. Even if Cat is conversing with us in his mind, then that would mean we exist. So, by your definition then we do all exist.


But, I don't agree that simply because something is thought, it exists, then it is entirely possible that none of us exist outside of someone's mind.
If he does not exist, what would be the point of attempting to deceive him?
 
But it is the INDEPENDENT thought he shows by questioning his own existence that proves that he exists. If he is merely a figment of someone else's imagination, how could he think for himself?

That's the point...

He isn't thinking for himself.


All his "thoughts" are not his but the being's in whose mind he exists.


I can have someone in my dream who doesn't exist, but that I merely created in my mind. That someone can talk, converse, think, say that they exist. But they don't exist. They are just a creation of my mind... A figment of my imagination. The someone isn't thinking from themselves... They are all my thoughts.
 
If he does not exist, what would be the point of attempting to deceive him?


Who said anyone is trying to deceive anyone?


Perhaps whoever's mind we all exist in is dreaming about life and existence and this is how its mind is playing it out.

No deception.
 
That's the point...

He isn't thinking for himself.


All his "thoughts" are not his but the being's in whose mind he exists.


I can have someone in my dream who doesn't exist, but that I merely created in my mind. That someone can talk, converse, think, say that they exist. But they don't exist. They are just a creation of my mind... A figment of my imagination. The someone isn't thinking from themselves... They are all my thoughts.

But do the people in your dreams ponder philosophy and question their own existance?

It's like, in the Matrix, how do the real people know they're real and not just programs created by the machines? They live in a totally fictional world. Everything they see, hear, touch, taste, and smell is fake. The people they meet may or may not be real, and even if they do exist, in reality they are nothing like what they see in the Matrix. Still, the ones that question this artificial world and learn the truth about the Matrix can be certain of their own existance, because if they were merely programs created by the machines they would never think this way.
 
Does that mean my explanation made sense? woohoo

I know I think the idea is simple, but that doesn't mean I can always explain it in a simple fashion. Sometimes I can't see the forest from the trees and I forget that things that seem obvious to me, are not obvious to others.


Yeah, the explanation was great. I am somewhat familiar with physics, so I am not a totally blank slate, but it should have made sense to just about anyone.

I watch a whole lot of the Science Channel.
 
But do the people in your dreams ponder philosophy and question their own existance?

It's like, in the Matrix, how do the real people know they're real and not just programs created by the machines? They live in a totally fictional world. Everything they see, hear, touch, taste, and smell is fake. The people they meet may or may not be real, and even if they do exist, in reality they are nothing like what they see in the Matrix. Still, the ones that question this artificial world and learn the truth about the Matrix can be certain of their own existance, because if they were merely programs created by the machines they would never think this way.



Not in my dreams, that I can recall, but it all dreams the people in them converse and ask questions and make decisions, so it is entirely possible to have a dream where the people questioned their existence.

Or, as was mentioned before... The movie "Identity". Those "people" were trying to stay alive. I won't give too much away because I don't want to ruin it, but if you've seen it, that is a perfect example to prove my point that just because you can think and rationalize, doesn't mean that you actually exist.
 
Not in my dreams, that I can recall, but it all dreams the people in them converse and ask questions and make decisions, so it is entirely possible to have a dream where the people questioned their existence.

And do these people in your dream raise these questions without expressing them to you?

If they do, how do you know they do?

It seems to me that your assumption regarding their self questioning is not more "provable" than what you claim any individuals self questioning is.

How is it that your claim is verifiable and the other is not?

The essence of Descartes argument is that self doubt, that is not externalized, is proof of self existence.

Even if we accept your argument, all you are doing is shifting the existence. There is some self that is creating other "selves" to raise doubts. As long as the question is asked, there must be something to ask it.

The fact that it may not be a self directed question is no more significant than referring to oneself in the third person.
 
And do these people in your dream raise these questions without expressing them to you?

If they do, how do you know they do?

It seems to me that your assumption regarding their self questioning is not more "provable" than what you claim any individuals self questioning is.

How is it that your claim is verifiable and the other is not?

The essence of Descartes argument is that self doubt, that is not externalized, is proof of self existence.

Even if we accept your argument, all you are doing is shifting the existence. There is some self that is creating other "selves" to raise doubts. As long as the question is asked, there must be something to ask it.

The fact that it may not be a self directed question is no more significant than referring to oneself in the third person.


Gomez stated that he knew he existed.

I pointed out that just because he knew himself, did not necessarily mean that he truly existed in reality.

Gomez could be part of a something else's dream or imagination or (this one is for SOKB) simply someone's mind under anesthesia during surgery.

That doesn't mean that there isn't something that exists. Obviously, there is something that exists if Gomez is part of his imagination.

But the point was simply just because someone thinks, to quote Descartes, they exist because they think, doesn't mean they exist outside of someone else's thoughts.
 
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