The most fundamental question.

What is being? Can anyone ever define being/existence as such? What would be the difference between existence as such and non-existence as such - I am not refering to the existence of individual entities, but to existence/being proper, or all that is.

Maybe another question, can anyone tell me what it means to exist as an individual human being? Why is there being, rather than nothingness - again refering to being in an 'absolute' cosmological sense.

I believe god made us all for a reason and has a special plan for each of us.What it is I am not sure.That is the only reason I think of why we exist.JM

the reason we exist, is for us to experience life... merely that.. although some of us die young... I don't know about that...

Some say that it is out of coincidence that we exist... maybe it is...

Being is to be aware, while also having the ability to have an impact on our surroundings

Originally posted by peterKSL
the reason we exist, is for us to experience life... merely that.. although some of us die young... I don't know about that...

Some say that it is out of coincidence that we exist... maybe it is...

So do you believe that god made us because he has perfect plans for us or not?JM 😕

None of you have answered the question - I'm asking for a definition of being - how in the ultimate sense can we define being? What is being and what is nothingness? And how can you, satsujin, say that being is to be aware....plants are not aware, yet they still have being.

Being is a physical state of existence. Awareness is the self acknowledgement of one's one being and one's effect on their environment and the effect of that environment on them.

I just woke up, but it sounds o.k. to me. However, I have a feeling Philo's gonna try to pound this one into the dust.

Originally posted by KharmaDog
Being is a physical state of existence. Awareness is the self acknowledgement of one's one being and one's effect on their environment and the effect of that environment on them.

I just woke up, but it sounds o.k. to me. However, I have a feeling Philo's gonna try to pound this one into the dust.

Your description of awareness seems fine, but the question here is about being as such - You say that it's a physical state of existence, but I'm not pondering what the state of being is, rather existence as such, or being as such.

So, the question remains, what is existence/being as such?

Existence or being "as such" is merely a presence that occupies a space in time. When you cease to occupy a space in time, then you cease to be or cease to exist.

Consciousness

Generally, people only define an object' s existence by its relation to other objects and actions it undertakes.

Originally posted by Storm
Generally, people only define an object' s existence by its relation to other objects and actions it undertakes.

VEry impressive!!! thumbup

Originally posted by Storm
Generally, people only define an object' s existence by its relation to other objects and actions it undertakes.

To have consciousness and thought would be invisible and not really in relation to other objects and the actions it undertakes.

To "be" would be thought or thinking on some level of continuousness. It is invisible

Originally posted by KharmaDog
Existence or being "as such" is merely a presence that occupies a space in time. When you cease to occupy a space in time, then you cease to be or cease to exist.

I also like what you said KharmaDog.

No, still none of you have answered the question. All of you seem to be misunderstanding: I'm NOT refering to the existence or consciousness of a being(human, plant, animal, or any other entity for that matter) - I'm talking about BEING AS SUCH - ALL THAT IS, as in the universe/cosmos or infinity/eternity - the eternity of being - the greatness of existence as the container for all individual beings - the infinite continuum as such! What is being- not the being of an individual, but pure being.

Also, being cannot be equated to thought or thinking, then one is implying that only aware beings(humans) exist, but what about plants which cannot think - don't they have being as well?

Kharmadog, you describe being with 'presence', while the question is about being/presence - I want to know what exactly is presence in itself.

I'm also not talking about relations between objects/entities, as that refers to individual beings, I am talking about mere being - the one 'object' of being - the eternal continuum of existence which contains all other individual beings.

How much clearer do I have to make it. Why is there being rather than nothingness - Being on a cosmological scale(the one infinity of existence) - not the existence of individual entities.

the way i see it..
existence is a a term which defines a concept based on our ability to experience sense of self. that ability allows us to wonder about the existence of all the things our self interracts with.
a plant, as you said, exists..but it does not question it's existance...it can't...we do it for her.
as for reason...what makes you think there is a reason?
and if there is...we probably learn it late in life. if we find any happiness at all

I never refered to reason. Still what exactly is that sense of self as such- define that. What is being in its purest, abstract form?

Well, I was reading a book for my philosophy class the other day, and read something regaurding "being", some ideas from a philosopher (I don't remember which one). His thought was, he knows he exists because of his conciousness, which makes sense.

Still, what is Being? No one seems to be able to define mere being.
Consciousness...what about plants - don't they exist then!?