What Does It Mean to Exist? Exploring Life, Reality, and Consciousness
Have you ever stopped and asked yourself; What does it mean to exist? What exactly is it that makes up everything around you including your own self? Most of us take existence for granted; but some (like me) just can’t help themselves and question everything, including their own existence. So, are you ready to challenge everything you thought you knew about reality? Let's begin.
All is Physical
Fundamentally, existence is made of matter and energy and everything, including consciousness, is either physical or a product of physical processes; Now, I am in no way saying this is correct nor I agree with a such physicalism founded argument, but we got to start somewhere. The physicalism approach offers a unified, simple explanation of reality which aligns with the scientific understanding of the universe. However, this purely physical idea fails to address some more complex questions of existence.
1.The Hard Problem
The term hard problem of consciousness was coined by a contemporary philosopher David Chalmers to distinguish the question of subjective experience from the “easy problem’’ of explaining brain function. If consciousness were a purely physical process in the brain, then how is one’s subjective experience created? The ‘’what it’s like’’ to see, hear, taste or feel something is a very much subjective experience which the assumption of all being physical simply does not account for. Can a purely physical system feel? Or can one know what it truly feels like to experience something without experiencing it?
2.Free Will
If you and me were to agree that all is physical, then aren’t we agreeing that our choices are therefore predetermined by the physical? If this were the case does free will exist at all? Or is it just an illusion?
The Manifestation of Mind
Idealism on the other hand flips the physicalism theory by introducing the idea that one’s perception of the external world is a creation or manifestation of one’s mind. This suggests that opposed to all being physical, the mind is primary. This perspective is most closely associated with the philosopher George Berkeley, who famously argued that “to be is to be perceived’’. This idea directly addresses the problem of objective reality by proposing that things continue to exist even when we don’t perceive them because that are being perceived by an all-encompassing mind, which he identified as God. However, this purely mind-focused idea still encounters some challenges:
1.Existence Outside of One’s Mind
If one’s existence is mind-dependant, then how can one be certain that anything does indeed exists outside of the mind of oneself?
2.Objective Reality
If the reality of oneself is purely mental; How can you and I sit in the same room? Does the room cease to exist when one were to close their eyes? Does this mean all depends on one’s perception? Is the same blue chair aesthetically different to all?
The Best of Both
In between physicalism and idealism lies dualism which introduces the idea that existence is not physical nor mental but rather the two worlds coexisting. This theory is most famously associated with the philosopher Rene Descartes, who proposed that existence is made of two distinct substances: res cogitans (the thinking, non-physical mind) and res extensa (the physical, extended body). This idea suggests that both physical matter and mental consciousness exist together and are both equal in importance and presence. On the surface this theory appears most plausible as it addresses both the physical body and the non-physical mind while also preserving the idea of free will and objective reality. However, as with all theories it comes with its own set of challenges.
1.The Interaction Problem
If one’s mind and body were to be fundamentally different from one another, how may they interact? How can one’s non-physical thought cause a physical action? Or a physical action cause one’s non-physical thought?
2.Defying Physics
If a non-physical mind may indeed affect the physical world, isn’t this defying the laws of physics?
The Fundamental Property
What if consciousness isn’t something that mysteriously emerges from physical processes, but is a fundamental property of everything? Panpsychism is a theory that suggests a form of consciousness, or proto consciousness, exists is all matter, from atoms to complex organisms. This view attempts to solve the hard problem by arguing that subjective experience isn’t something that appears at a certain level of complexity. Instead, it’s a basic, ubiquitous part of the physical world from the very beginning. This perspective avoids the interaction problem of dualism, but it raises its own questions, such as how these countless tiny pockets of consciousness combine to form the unified, complex consciousness we experience.
Final Thoughts
Ultimately, there is no single nor universally accepted answer to what existence truly is. It is clear that all attempts to construct such universal answer face their own challenges and probable implications. Yet, the value lies not in finding a definite answer, but rather the journey itself. All of the theories- physicalism’s focus on the material, idealisms emphasis on the mental, dualism’s attempt to reconcile them, and panpsychism’s novel approach- provide a toolkit for us to understand our place in the universe. Engaging with these ideas encourages critical thinking and deepens our appreciation for reality, whatever it may be.
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