prove that you exist

Originally posted by Breifne
If a tree falls in the woods and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?

The fact that the tree fell is good enough for me. lol

(Timmmmbbbbeeerrrr)

if a fat girl falls in the forest, do the trees laugh??

sorry - just had to!!

Oh i exist, albeit in a sub-reality created by my mind.

I, in fact do not exist.

I, am a figment of your imagination.

You, did not read this.

I'm sitting here scratching myself in a feel good place and wondering why I have to prove anything to you.

Tell ya what, why don't you come over here and scratch me in my feel good place and prove to me that I don't exist.

The simple truth is I'm not here to prove anything to anyone. I'm not even sure I can prove anything to anyone.

With that said, I'll be happy being me and you can be happy being you and no one has to prove anything to anyone.

If we can only convince the politicians to think like this we can end all wars.

reply to post by drock905


Whether we be an illusion or real, we exist. Illusions exist, otherwise, we wouldn't know what an illusion is. Whether we create that illusion or the illusion of an illusion it is still the creation of someone who exists whether the being is an illusion or not. An illusion of an illusion by an illusion is an illusion and an illusion exists.

That is how I prove I exist. I exist either in an illusion or in a physical being. The fact that you made this thread here at ATS and we have read it means there is a connection or a network that exists between us. That connection or network is the Internet. It exists, otherwise, we couldn't talk about this. If that exists, and we are connected to an existing entity, then we must exist on some level, whether we be an illusion or a real being connected to this network. Even if the Internet were the only real entity, and we were dependent on it, we still exist, otherwise why would the Internet exist? There's no reason to exist if the dependents of you do not exist, is there?

Another thing that exists is the search function. Next time go read the four hundred other similar threads before making another one.

I cannot prove I exist. I cannot prove that you or anyone exists either. No one reading this can prove that I exist either, as their senses may be inaccurate or deceptive.

The only thing I can know for certain is that "something" exists, and that whatever that "something" is results in a specific configuration of "information" which creates the perceived experience, whether real or unreal, of what the part of that "information" I regard as "myself," defines as existence.

I believe I exist, but for all I know that could merely be the result of a complex enough configuration of "information" that some segment of whatever "it" is, interacts with itself in a way that creates the illusion of this "existence." If so, then the extent of my existence as an individual entity is limited by whatever aspect of that configuration the portion I perceive as “me” encompasses. That I am even pondering your query at all indicates at least this much, but I still cannot prove that I exist.

I cut myself and bled today, does that count?

Hurt like hell. Still does.

Went to a rodeo, that in itself should prove that I are here.

Roper

ps I cleaned the garage today. If I didn't exist why bother?

your just a brain in a vat. we are all just part of a false reality pulled over your brain's consciousness to keep you sane. but then wait, maybe you are just part of a false reality in my mind. or maybe i think, there for i exist. the onlything any of us can prove is absolutely true. ish. maybe?

Weemadmental - your a sick individual. lol

Ps. The trees would be shaking with the tremors created.

Be glad we are not discussing this live. I would simply punch you in the nose!

Proving sufficiently to both of us that we exist.

If you were still not convinced, well we could discuss it further untill you became sufficiently convinced.

LoL!!!
Nice thread and good point your trying to make.
I did the same thing with a similar thread a while back.

Simple fact of the matter is.
No one can do that.
There is any one of a number of loopholes that one can take if they so chose to.

So I will just go with nope. I don't exist.
These words I am typing are nothing more than electrical impulses interpreted by your brain and the brain can be fooled.
And even if I lived right next door you could argue that your just imagining me.


[edit on 5-4-2008 by WraothAscendant]

I have proven that I exist, and I will prove I exist, or I have proven that I exist already, in the future. Or you already have proof that I exist, and you want me to prove to you that you exist by answering your question, which has been answered previously in the future.

The nature of scientific proof is that the lack of proof, proves nothing.

I do not 'exist' per se, I interact with the medium that is accepted as reality consisting of three spacial dimensions and 1 temporal dimension. For me to exist is to ascertain that I only interact with these dimensions in the manner that they are interpreted by the masses, and these definitions of 'real' are wholly dependent on the masses as is the nature of written and spoken language.

As for my existence in relation to you, that depends on the general definition of existence being that it is 'real'. To expand upon the principle of being 'real' we will also add that to exist is to have knowledge of ones own being. As complex beings we cannot fully depend on 'real' being a strict interpretation of whether we exist or not, because numbers exist in real and imaginary forms.

I guess to take a motif from the Bible, I will define myself as God did. He said "I am", meaning, words cannot grasp the whole concept of my being, thus are incapable of defining it without compromising its integrity. This answer is the closest any spoken or written language can come to define some body that is in this world but not as a product of this world.

DINSTAAR------ "I am" and to others "I seem to be"

I am surprised this thread hasn't been mod-hammered yet.

We live in The Matrix.

Only one person's mind exists, everything else is just that person thinking. But whose mind is it?
Mine? Yours?
Is it possible to know?

reply to post by KingJames56


I will have to go with mine.
I know I exist.
I can't say the same for you with 100% certainty. Perhaps I am some sort of insane god living in a void.

But then again. I have no way of proving that either if you chose not to take it on faith.




[edit on 5-4-2008 by WraothAscendant]

If one can make the statement "I exist." one must necessarily exist in some capacity. This fact is the immovable point by which the philosophical world can be leveraged. Johann Gottlieb Fichte's seminal work, The Science of Logic, describes this reality and the necessary consequences of it.

It's a good read.

Is this asked as a thought experiment? Maybe it's a query to get people to ponder solipsism or mysticism or neuroscience? Or maybe it's something much shallower than all that jazz? Geeeez, OP where are you? Are you even interested in your own thread? I'm not.

--Threadfall out!

From the OP's point of view, not a single one of you has eliminated the possibility that you are all one grand delusion in his mind. Even if some of you really did go punch him like you've suggested, the entire experience could quite possibly still just be more of the delusion.

Some of you have suggested that because you've felt pain, gone places, or performed certain actions that you have proven you exist. But I believe you still need to prove to the OP that you exist. He wasn't in your body to experience your pain. He wasn't in your mind when you went places. He didn't manipulate your hands to do things that you've done.

That would be impossible. You can't prove that he exists anymore than you can prove the chair in my bedroom exists.

You know, if there is conciosness in the electromagnetic capsules walking around in electromagnetic worlds, i say,"What genious did this?"

We exist, yet all we are is electricity.

reply to post by mattifikation


Ummmmmm..... I said that.
Here is part.

I can't say the same for you with 100% certainty. Perhaps I am some sort of insane god living in a void.

I could chop off OP's hands and thus decrease his ability to experience. That would irrefutably prove my existence.