“In fact, to possess spatio-temporal properties is the same as to exist.” (John Wild (2013-07-25). The Challenge of Existentialism (Kindle Locations 482-483). New Albany. Kindle Edition.)
This was John Wild’s description of the view of atomistic essentialism stemming from David Hume. In popular imagination this passed for empiricism or the scientific world view. Everything got reduced to physical existence. I see this a lot in online pronouncements of atheists. I am sure many atheists are more sophisticated than this. But idea that anything beyond physical existence is imaginary still seems obvious to some people.
Existentialism set itself over against essentialism. Existence is not the same as essence. It is not the same as possessing spatio-temporal properties. Soren Kierkegaard and the philosophers who followed his lead set about describing what existence is really like to those of us who participate in it. They described a world far richer than that of…
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James' Ramblings 
Interesting 🙂
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