Degrees of being
I have been reading a lot of philosophy recently, and that has got me thinking about the meaning of "existence" and "being." Some philosophers make a great deal of existence (e.g. Heidegger, whom I have not read), and of course some of the great debates of history have concerned the reality of concepts (Plato and Aristotle, Realists and Nominalists). I have always thought that existence is synonymous with physical existence. What does it mean for non-material objects (Congress, the mind, a word) to "exist"? They exist as a series of relationships, e.g. Congress is a building associated with a number of people who are related by their position and responsibilities. In that sense, it can be said to exist only relatively, i.e., to the extent that the relationships may be considered coherent. (In other words, Congress exists "more" than society, because there is a relatively clear set of rules defining Congress, whereas society is a much...