does anything exist or is everything an illusion

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  • 7/29/2019 Does Anything Exist or is Everything an Illusion

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    Does anything exist or is everything an illusion?

    The universe, as science interprets it, comprises everything we believe exists

    physically. It is also widely interpreted as the entirety of space and time. While there

    is some evidence that we exist in the world, it is interesting to think that we, and the

    things around us, are actually illusions. Suppose everything we do, including typingup this page, was an illusion. In this place called reality, we face a problem- is reality

    real? In other terms, does anything exist?

    For something to exist it has to be made out of something; it cant possibly exist from

    nothing. So, it is understandable that molecules are made of atoms and atoms are

    made of electrons, protons and neutrons etc. I would suppose this could easily go on

    forever, but think about time. Would time ever stop? Can you slow time down? To put

    it straight, time cannot stop, so it must slow down infinitely because time is made out

    of something else and so on, but how is that possible? Is everything we see, do, etc. an

    illusion?

    Many people believe that everything exists. Religious people are good and

    straightforward examples. Many religious people believe science does not have the

    right answers, but science has provided many right questions. Then, the god(s) come

    in and they answer all the questions, including the one about existence. Therefore,

    some religious people may believe everything exists.

    People who believe in science may also believe everything exists. As French

    philosopher Ren Descartes famously put it I think therefore I am, many people

    believe this statement has solved all the problems and calmed the debate on human

    and universal existence.

    Others may think if there was no existence and there was no point for life, then peoplewould have gladly died straight away rather than continue with lifes journey. As

    hardly anybody dies this way, people might think that everything exists, or they might

    find a purpose for existence. In one way or another, everything exists.

    On the other hand, it is not surprising to think that everything is an illusion. When you

    go to sleep on a night, you are likely to have a dream. In a dream, you can essentially

    create anything out of nothing. If you become lucid, the dream will be even closer to

    reality, yet you have created the dream out of nothing. You do not ask yourself the

    question What is everything here made of? because the dream is not real.

    If you do not become lucid in a dream, the dream isnt as real yet you do not realize

    you are dreaming! The dream is as real to you as you are asleep as it is when you are

    awake. You do not control your dream yet you created it!

    As well as that, everything is made out of something else. If thats the case, for

    religious people, how could there be a creator? If there was to be a creator, there

    would be a creator that created the creator and so on. If there was no creator of the

    creator and the creator had always existed, then why couldnt the sun and the universe

    have always existed? So, the idea that there was a creator does not make sense.

    Although there is evidence that we exist, there is also evidence that we do not exist.

    The famous philosopher Descartes had proven existence with the statement I think

    therefore I am, but the statement has loopholes in it and does not explain existencefully.

  • 7/29/2019 Does Anything Exist or is Everything an Illusion

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    What if we interpreted illusion a different way? As the word illusion means an

    erroneous perception of reality, it does not mean there is no existence. Illusion, in

    this case, could be thought of as a mirage, where you see something that is actually

    another. What happens if this was the real topic?

    Essentially, I would think it is up to each person to decide upon whether they existedor not. It all depends on how we, humans, depict our position and existence in the

    universe.