HOW DO YOU KNOW YOU EXIST?
Prerequisite: Necessity Vs Truth, The Problem With Knowledge
The first thing we notice in this question is the use of the word "know". In order to avoid the problem with knowledge, as it is incoherently defined as "justified true belief", we can modify this question as, "Do you have justified belief that it is true that you exist?". After having done this, we still find the question to be incoherent, as it would be a contradiction for one to believe that they exist.
Let's look at the question that one would ask themselves, "Do I exist in some way, shape, or form?". As a dichotomy we have, it is the case that I exist in some way, shape, or form OR it is not the case that I exist in some way, shape, or form. Since "I" is a reference to something that exists at a particular moment, it would be a contradiction to say "it is not the case that something that exists exists". Therefore, that I exist, at the moment it was contemplated, is a necessity, as the contrary is incoherent. Since believing is a condition that has a truth value, and would require the contrary to be coherent, then it would not make sense to believe that I exist.
The key to determining this necessity is the phrase, "some way, shape, or form". "I" could be a living, breathing human being, or "I" could be a computer code in some matrix, or "I" could be a figment of someone's imagination, among other possibilities, however, "I" do exist in some way, shape, or form at the moment "I" make the statement or ask the question. If the question were, "Do I exist as a carbon life form?", then this would be a truth value question, as the contrary that I am not a carbon life form is coherent. I could indeed exist in many other ways, shapes, or forms. This does not mean that I can question my mere existence, only that I can question, without contradiction, the way, shape, or form in which I exist.
December 2019
The first thing we notice in this question is the use of the word "know". In order to avoid the problem with knowledge, as it is incoherently defined as "justified true belief", we can modify this question as, "Do you have justified belief that it is true that you exist?". After having done this, we still find the question to be incoherent, as it would be a contradiction for one to believe that they exist.
Let's look at the question that one would ask themselves, "Do I exist in some way, shape, or form?". As a dichotomy we have, it is the case that I exist in some way, shape, or form OR it is not the case that I exist in some way, shape, or form. Since "I" is a reference to something that exists at a particular moment, it would be a contradiction to say "it is not the case that something that exists exists". Therefore, that I exist, at the moment it was contemplated, is a necessity, as the contrary is incoherent. Since believing is a condition that has a truth value, and would require the contrary to be coherent, then it would not make sense to believe that I exist.
The key to determining this necessity is the phrase, "some way, shape, or form". "I" could be a living, breathing human being, or "I" could be a computer code in some matrix, or "I" could be a figment of someone's imagination, among other possibilities, however, "I" do exist in some way, shape, or form at the moment "I" make the statement or ask the question. If the question were, "Do I exist as a carbon life form?", then this would be a truth value question, as the contrary that I am not a carbon life form is coherent. I could indeed exist in many other ways, shapes, or forms. This does not mean that I can question my mere existence, only that I can question, without contradiction, the way, shape, or form in which I exist.
December 2019
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