Existence

Existence is the state of having being or reality in contrast to nonexistence and nonbeing. Existence is often contrasted with essence: the essence of an entity is its essential features or qualities, which can be understood even if one does not know whether the entity exists.

Ontology is the philosophical discipline studying the nature and types of existence. Singular existence is the existence of individual entities while general existence refers to the existence of concepts or universals. Entities present in space and time have concrete existence in contrast to abstract entities, like numbers and sets. Other distinctions are between possible, contingent, and necessary existence and between physical and mental existence. The common view is that an entity either exists or not with nothing in between, but some philosophers say that there are degrees of existence, meaning that some entities exist to a higher degree than others.

The orthodox position in ontology is that existence is a second-order property, or a property of properties. For example, to say that lions exist means that the property of being a lion is possessed by an entity. A different view sees existence as a first-order property, or a property of individuals, meaning existence is similar to other properties of individuals, like color and shape. Alexius Meinong and his followers accept this idea and say that not all individuals have this property; they state that there are some individuals, such as Santa Claus, that do not exist. Universalists reject this view; they see existence as a universal property of every individual.

The concept of existence has been discussed throughout the history of philosophy and already played a role in ancient philosophy, including Presocratic philosophy in Ancient Greece, Hindu and Buddhist philosophy in Ancient India, and Daoist philosophy in ancient China. It is relevant to fields such as logic, mathematics, epistemology, philosophy of mind, philosophy of language, and existentialism.

wikipedia/en/Existence

In philosophy, existence can be categorized in several ways, including by its nature (physical, virtual, Platonic), by its relationship to other things (relative, conventional), or by its mode (potential, actual, hypothetical). Different philosophical schools and thinkers propose various classifications and theories of existence, often exploring the nature of being and reality.

1. Physical Existence: This refers to the tangible, material world that we can perceive through our senses. It encompasses everything that has a physical body and occupies space.
2. Virtual Existence: This category includes things that exist as information or representations, rather than physical objects. This can include digital entities, simulated realities, or even abstract concepts.
3. Platonic Existence (or Ideas): Plato’s theory suggests that there are perfect, eternal Forms or Ideas that exist independently of the physical world. These Forms are the true objects of knowledge, and the physical world is merely a shadow of these perfect realities.
4. Relative Existence: This concept suggests that the existence of something is dependent on its relationship to other things. For example, the concept of “left” only has meaning in relation to “right”.
5. Conventional Existence: This refers to existence based on social agreement or convention. For example, money only has value because we collectively agree that it does.
6. Hypothetical Existence: This category includes things that could exist but do not yet, or things that are imagined or proposed as possibilities.
7. Potential Existence: This refers to things that could exist, either physically or virtually, but currently do not. This includes objects that are not yet created, or concepts that have not yet been realized.
8. Kierkegaard’s Modes of Existence: Soren Kierkegaard proposed three modes of existence: the aesthetic, the ethical, and the religious. These represent different ways of living and relating to the world, with the religious mode being the most authentic and fulfilling, according to Study.com.
9. Four Realms of Existence (according to some thinkers): Some philosophers and researchers propose a framework of four realms: biological, neural, cognitive, and conscious. This framework emphasizes the interconnectedness of these realms in shaping human experience, according to Harvard University Press.

These are just some of the ways philosophers have categorized and explored the concept of existence. The study of existence, known as ontology, is a central part of metaphysics and continues to be a topic of ongoing debate and exploration.