Jump to content
Objectivism Online Forum

Adam Fitchett

Newbies
  • Posts

    3
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Previous Fields

  • Relationship status
    No Answer
  • State (US/Canadian)
    Not Specified
  • Country
    UnitedKingdom
  • Copyright
    Copyrighted
  • School or University
    University of Sussex

Adam Fitchett's Achievements

Newbie

Newbie (1/7)

0

Reputation

  1. But dream_weaver, you are equivocating. First you use existence as a proper noun, to refer to the totality of all that exists, and then you use it as an abstract noun to refer to that fact which is shared by those things which are a component of that totality. What actually is the fact which is shared by those things? Rand makes it clear that existence is not an attribute, and therefore it cannot be measured. In which case, how does measurement omission work for the concept of existence?
  2. Is there such a thing as the concept 'nothing'? If so, what are its referents? It seems to me like a sort of metaphor, a short hand for other things. e.g. 'There's nothing in the cookie jar' is shorthand for 'I do not see anything from the intuitively relevant set of items in the cookie jar. There is air and microorganisms and crumbs, but these are not worth mentioning'. Is this always the case?
  3. In the ITOE appendix, when asked what 'existence' is differentiated from, Rand answered: "Close your eyes. That is what you are differentiating it from" I do not accept this answer. When I close my eyes, I see the skin on the inside of my eyelids; this is, undoubtedly, part of existence, and not something else. I would have to step outside existence in order to see it comparatively. Even if I could perceive 'nothing' by closing my eyes (which is impossible, since any perception must be a perception of something), this still wouldn't help. What is the conceptual common denominator? What is the essential characteristic of existence? Personally, I am skeptical that a concept of 'existence' can even exist. Surely 'existence' is a proper noun? If so, it would seem that the rug has been pulled out from under Rand's conceptual hierarchy. Any thoughts?
×
×
  • Create New...