4 ms·

Existence is variative homeostasis. They do not 'exist' unless they are put in different contexts which affect their properties.

AnimalMuppet 5y ago
That's... one definition of "exist". There are others. As all such questions, it depends on what your definition of "exist" is.
- thriftwy 5y ago
  What's the other one? Let's imagine there's a natural number exists between 7 and 8, and it is particularly sneaky so that it won't show up in any arithmetic operations performed by human and their devices. How we can argue it does not exist?
  - simion314 5y ago
    >Let's imagine there's a natural number exists between 7 and 8 8 is by definition the label for the number after 7. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peano_axioms https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peano_axioms So maybe you are thinking that there exists very different Set for natural numbers that has this nice properties, / I think you can try an exercise to define such axioms and rules, see if actually they are consistent and not trivial and then see if they are different then the natural numbers.
  - evanb 5y ago
    I think you're thinking of bleem, the secret integer between 3 and 4 [ according to the short story "The Secret Number" by Igor Teper https://eyeofmidas.com/scifi/Teper_TheSecretNumber.pdf https://eyeofmidas.com/scifi/Teper_TheSecretNumber.pdf ].
  - AnimalMuppet 5y ago
    "Exist as an idea" and "exist as a physical entity", to name two off the top of my head. There are probably more.
    - thriftwy 5y ago
      Bleem (thank you!) definitely exists as an idea and definitely does not exist as a physical entity. But does it exist as a mathematical object?
      - cevi 5y ago
        No - I checked.
        Koshkin 5y ago
        Not yet. (The complex numbers did not exist as mathemadical objects until relatively recently.)
        thriftwy 5y ago
        While "checking" it you have interacted with it, so it seems you have confirmed its existence
    - Koshkin 5y ago
      By the way, many things that "exist as an idea" do exist within the nature itself, like the idea of gravity obviously affects the direction of the water flow in a waterfall.
Koshkin 5y ago
But is being variative necessary in order to exist? (In the context of mathematics, for example, the homeo-something seems to be all that's required.)

AnimalMuppet 5y ago

That's... one definition of "exist". There are others. As all such questions, it depends on what your definition of "exist" is.

thriftwy 5y ago
What's the other one? Let's imagine there's a natural number exists between 7 and 8, and it is particularly sneaky so that it won't show up in any arithmetic operations performed by human and their devices. How we can argue it does not exist?
- simion314 5y ago
  >Let's imagine there's a natural number exists between 7 and 8 8 is by definition the label for the number after 7. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peano_axioms https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peano_axioms So maybe you are thinking that there exists very different Set for natural numbers that has this nice properties, / I think you can try an exercise to define such axioms and rules, see if actually they are consistent and not trivial and then see if they are different then the natural numbers.
- evanb 5y ago
  I think you're thinking of bleem, the secret integer between 3 and 4 [ according to the short story "The Secret Number" by Igor Teper https://eyeofmidas.com/scifi/Teper_TheSecretNumber.pdf https://eyeofmidas.com/scifi/Teper_TheSecretNumber.pdf ].
- AnimalMuppet 5y ago
  "Exist as an idea" and "exist as a physical entity", to name two off the top of my head. There are probably more.
  - thriftwy 5y ago
    Bleem (thank you!) definitely exists as an idea and definitely does not exist as a physical entity. But does it exist as a mathematical object?
    - cevi 5y ago
      No - I checked.
      - Koshkin 5y ago
        Not yet. (The complex numbers did not exist as mathemadical objects until relatively recently.)
      - thriftwy 5y ago
        While "checking" it you have interacted with it, so it seems you have confirmed its existence
  - Koshkin 5y ago
    By the way, many things that "exist as an idea" do exist within the nature itself, like the idea of gravity obviously affects the direction of the water flow in a waterfall.

Koshkin 5y ago

But is being variative necessary in order to exist? (In the context of mathematics, for example, the homeo-something seems to be all that's required.)