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One cannot define the notion of “exist” without explicitly or implicitly referring to time. So the question of existence without time reduces to absurdity like
by fpoling 6y ago
One cannot define the notion of “exist” without explicitly or implicitly referring to time. So the question of existence without time reduces to absurdity like can one exist without existing?
- drdeca 6y agoHuh? How is it necessary to speak of time when discussing whether there exists e.g. a solution to a set of equations? Or whether there is a finite simple group with given number of elements, or the like?
- fpoling 6y agoDoes the solution to an equation exist before one stated the equation? Does a particular phrase exist before one has written it? Does it continue to exist after all its copies were erased? And even if one answers positively to such questions based on a belief (it is not provable), like "yes, they always exist", one has to define what "always" means.
- drdeca 6y agoTheir existence is not at all dependent on such things. (Note that I didn’t use the word “always”.) If the answer to a question of “Why [...]_1?” would be “Because there is a [...]_2 such that [...]_3 .”, then there is such a [...]_2 such that [...]_3 . (Possible exception : if “because you asked that question” would be part of the answer.)