Existence

"Existence exists—and the act of grasping that statement implies two corollary axioms: that something exists which one perceives and that one exists possessing consciousness, consciousness being the faculty of perceiving that which exists."

The Axiom

Existence is the first and widest of all Axioms. It is the fact that there IS something rather than nothing. This axiom subsumes everything:

• Every entity that exists
• Every action that occurs
• Every attribute of every entity
• Every relationship between entities
• Time, space, matter, energy
• Even consciousness itself

To grasp "existence exists" is not to grasp any particular existent, but rather to grasp the fundamental fact that SOMETHING exists as opposed to nothing at all.

Why It Cannot Be Denied

Any attempt to deny existence is self-refuting:

1. The denial itself must exist - To say "nothing exists" requires that the statement exists
2. The denier must exist - Someone must exist to make the denial
3. The act of denial must exist - The process of denying is itself an existent action
4. The concept must exist - Even to conceive of "non-existence" requires existence

As Ayn Rand noted: "Existence exists—and only existence exists. Existence is a primary: it is uncreated, indestructible, eternal. The universe is the total of that which exists."

Existence vs. Non-Existence

Non-existence is not a thing - it is the absence of things. It cannot be perceived, measured, or interact with anything. Non-existence is merely a concept we form by negating existence. We can only define it as "not existence."

This is why existence cannot be "created" or "destroyed" - creation would require existence to come from non-existence (impossible), and destruction would require existence to become non-existence (equally impossible).

Implications

From this axiom follows:

• Objectivity: There is a reality independent of wishes, beliefs, or feelings
• Primacy of Existence: Existence exists independent of consciousness
• Causality: Things act according to their nature (Identity)
• Knowledge is possible: There is something to know

Relationship to Other Axioms

While existence is the first axiom chronologically (in the order of cognition), it is grasped simultaneously with:

• Identity: To exist is to be something specific
• Consciousness: The faculty that grasps existence

These three axioms are the irreducible foundation of all knowledge. They cannot be "proven" because any proof would have to assume them. They are validated by the fact that any attempt to deny them must use them.

Common Errors

"But what if nothing existed?"
This question is meaningless. "What if" questions presuppose existence. To even formulate the question requires that you exist, language exists, concepts exist.

"Existence needs a cause/creator"
This commits the fallacy of the stolen concept. Causation is a relationship between existents. It presupposes existence. You cannot use a concept that depends on existence to explain existence itself.

"Maybe existence is an illusion"
An illusion is a misperception of something that exists. Even an illusion requires:

• Something that exists to be misperceived
• A consciousness to have the illusion
• The illusion itself as an existent mental state

Foundation for Ethics

The fact that existence exists is the foundation for the standard of value: Life the standard for man. Because things exist with specific identities, and because humans exist with a specific nature requiring specific actions to survive, an objective ethics becomes possible.

Without the axiom of existence, no statement about what one ought to do would be meaningful - there would be no "one" to act and nothing to act upon.