Existence
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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,
One of the topics covered by theories of the nature of existence concerns the ontological status of fictional objects like Pegasus.
Bertrand Russell proposed his theory of descriptions to dissolve paradoxes surrounding negative existential statements.
According to Alexius Meinong, there are some entities that do not exist.
Plato and his student Aristotle disagreed on whether form and matter depend on one another for their existence.
Metaphysics
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Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that examines the basic nature or most fundamental structure of reality. It is traditionally seen as the study of mind-independent features of the world, but so
The beginning of Aristotle's Metaphysics, one of the foundational texts of the discipline
Immanuel Kant conceived metaphysics from the perspective of critical philosophy as the study of the principles underlying all human thought and experience.
David Hume criticizes metaphysicians for trying to gain knowledge outside the field of sensory experience.
Boethius's theory of universals influenced many subsequent metaphysicians.