On 3/10/2021 1:18 AM, Tomas Pales wrote:
On Wednesday, March 10, 2021 at 6:40:51 AM UTC+1 Brent wrote:
On 3/9/2021 3:52 PM, Tomas Pales wrote:
On Wednesday, March 10, 2021 at 12:29:07 AM UTC+1 Brent wrote:
On 3/9/2021 3:03 PM, Tomas Pales wrote:
The law of identity determines what can possibly exist,
namely that which is identical to itself. But what is the
difference between a possibly existing object and a "really"
existing object? I see no difference, and hence all possible
objects exist, necessarily.
So everything that does not exist is something that cannot
possibly exist. But does that mean in the future or just
now. If it means /just now/ then it's a trivial tautology,
equivalent to "It is what it is." and has no useful content.
But if it means now and the future, even confined to the near
future, it's false.
When you talk about something you must define it. The temporal
position of an object is part of its definition (identity). So
when object X can exist at time t, then it must exist at time t.
It's trivial, just an example of the law of identity.
To which someone might say something like: "But there is a
red car parked in front of my house. Isn't it possible that,
at this moment, a blue car would be parked there instead?
Then the blue car would be a possible object that obviously
doesn't exist." Um, no. A red car can't be blue; that would
be a contradiction, a violation of the law of identity, and
hence impossible. A blue car might be parked in front of my
house in a different possible world but then we are talking
about a different world, and not really about my house
either but rather about a copy of my house in that other
world - and the fact that you can't see that other world is
not a proof that it doesn't exist.
c.f. Russell's teapot.
c.f. Granny's glasses - when she can't find them, they don't exist
The question is what is the difference between a possibly
existing object and a "really" existing object? The fact that you
don't see something doesn't mean that it doesn't exist.
That you can put it's name in a sentence doesn't mean it does
exist either. Or even that it's (nomologically) possible.
I am not saying that something exists. I am not even saying that
something is possible (identical to itself). I am just saying that if
something is possible then it exists, because I don't see a difference
between possible and "real" existence.
Then you've either (1) changed the meaning of "real" existence (2)
changed the meaning of possible or (3) gone mad.
Brent
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