by Trixia Tan
Last Thursday, the thing that really boggled my mind was the question of Existence. I mean, how to really know that we exist? How to know that we aren’t just in a dream or a figment of some imagination or hallucination? Or that we aren’t invisible?
This question seems to be answered easily with just saying “because I exist” but the things is, how do I know that I really exist? How do I know that this is the real world and not a dream reality that I just conjured up? Like in the 2010 movie Inception, wherein the protagonist (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his wife forgot about the real world because they lived in their conjured up “dream” reality, only knowing the real from the imaginary when Leonardo found his totem spinning endlessly. However their going back to the real world caused the wife’s hallucination of the dream world as the reality to surface, which raises the question for me, how do we know that we exist in the reality? To help me answer these questions, I compiled a list.
The ways to know that you exist
1.When there are documents that give proof of your existence. You have birth certificates, diplomas, records, and other documents that can attest to the fact that you are existing in this world.
2.When you check the mirror, and you can see your reflection. A ghost or someone who doesn’t exist wouldn’t know to look in the mirror, and there wouldn’t be any matter to look at!
3.When a person looks at you and doesn’t look through you. This means that you are not a ghost. It tells you that you exist in the eyes of that person and that you are physically in existence.
4.When something you move would move and fall like any normal object. An object wouldn’t move in the first place without any existing force from an existing person and as was in the movie, Inception, the protagonists’ totem doesn’t stop spinning when they are in the dream world, so when the object we move falls, this can also mean that we are in reality.
5.When you do something and you get recognized. Like when you won something and an award was given or even in more simplistic moments when you are thanked at.
6.When you touch someone. Like physically touch someone, it means that you are physically present for that someone to feel your presence.
7.When you think of this question. This means that you are aware enough to ask this question and that can certainly assure you that you exist.
Based on this list, one can say that to know that we exist, there should be an interaction with the world. We can know that we exist when we are part of the community. As was discussed, we can know that we exist when we participate in the world and when we know that we are aware of the things around us. When in a sense, we are in being.
I've learned from metaphysics that what separates a real being from a mental being or something that exists only hypothetically or in thought is that real beings are centers of action capable of expressing themselves independent from the actions of others. They affect and are affected by their environment and other real beings. I enjoyed reading the list you made because it's concrete and it highlights our relationship with others and with ourselves, giving the definition I have of "being real" a more human dimension.
ReplyDelete- Veronica Jereza (C)
The fourth item in the list struck me because it is the only item that focused on non-living objects. It is very easy to believe our existence when it is affirmed by another human being. Yet, do we realize that the existence of plain objects also embody the fact of our existence? This affirms Heidegger's "All being is in Being". Although a plain object can't speak about your existence, it affirms your existence because they existed via and for the human being. It is moved by the human being as Trixia said. A candle, for example, does not stop at being called a candle. Its existence also speaks of the human being that existed and made it, that uses it. (Nicole Nuguid, C)
ReplyDeleteWhat I got from the list is exactly the double awareness of existence. We are both aware of ourselves and of the people & world around us. Numbers 1,2 and 7 affirms this awareness of the self. When we look at the mirror and see our reflection, indeed we must be aware of ourselves because we are seeing ourselves right then and there. Moreover, when we think, when I start saying "I", I must be immediately aware of myself. On the other hand, the remaining numbers affirm our awareness of the world. We acknowledge the people and objects around us and as what the author said, our interaction with them.
ReplyDeleteMarika King - PH101 - A
And this is what Descartes missed out when he was doubting everything, including his sense and body, to arrive to the conclusion that when we doubt everything, we are thinking thing. Descartes separated body from spirit. But the fact is that we are thinking with our body, we are existing with our body. We do not need to prove with scientific evidence that we exist, because we are already -in. We are already in this world with others that we can figure out our unique but similar existence by involving, being with others. The 7 ways stated above are just a very few part of situations in which we can actually feel our existence.
ReplyDeleteAnd by continuously living out our existence, our being will be nourished, to a point that we don't need to prove our existence anymore, because we already experienced existence for infinitely many times. "We exist. What luck!"
So, Wai Yiu (A)
Maybe you should've added
ReplyDelete8. You are reading this
At first I intended this as joke, but come to think of it it's really true. When anyone reads this you begin thinking of your existence, and I guess this is Descartes, I think therefore I am bit. Besides that though, I've realized that through the internet and blogs like these, a new way of existing in the world has been made. I think through the internet people have been able to communicate and learn about others more. It has helped people know that "his or her world" is not alone. The internet as been one easy way to realize that we are imbedded in a greater whole. Because of this I guess it has helped in the affirmation of each of our existences as well.
Fern T
I definitely agree with you when you said, "we can know that we exist when we are part of the community." Yes, having a family would make us realize we exist too. We have our siblings, relatives and parents to acknowledge our existence. But as I see it, existence becomes more enriching when we are part of a bigger group of existence, we're no longer confined in our unit of family. The recognition, and acknowledge of our existence by strangers or a large community make our existence more meaningful. This shows we are able to reach out and connect with other hundreds of human beings. As we've learned, we only become more human when we interact with more humans.
ReplyDelete- Laura Hein (A)
I really relate to your 5th statement, when you do something and get recognised. I really am happy I exist and I do feel I exist during these times. When I get a good score on a test or when I play a good game in basketball I really do feel that I exist when my friends and family congratulate me.
ReplyDeleteStephen Vera Cruz (A)
I really liked how you related your blog to Inception, I really loved that movie! Anyway, sometimes I actually ponder on this question of existence on how do I really know that I am a being in this world. Sometimes I think that maybe it is just all in my head, that this world IS a fragment of my imagination, that everything I actually see is projected by my thoughts. How do I truly know this is not all an illusion of my mind? Through our philosophy class, I was actually able to find the answer and I precisely agree with your blog. To know we exist is to be conscious of our existence and to be conscious here immediately means that we are conscious of something beyond ourselves, that we are conscious that we are beings-in-a-world-with-others. Furthermore, to know that we exist actually first begins with wonder so to question our very existence actually affirms that we do exist.
ReplyDeleteFrenchi Baluyot (A)