We know that we exist. But that does not mean that we do exist. The only confirmation we have that we as individuals exist is our sensory stimuli, and having the capacity to question that is what philosophy is all about.

I am touching this desk, am I not? I am typing on this keyboard with my fingers, am I not? I am using my eyes to look at the screen and letters are appearing, am I not? Well yes, I am, but only in my mind. The only reason I know that these things are happening is because of chemical reactions occurring across a giant tissue we call a brain. When you put this fact into context, it becomes easier to understand that our sensory stimuli are hardly proof of existence at all.

Some will undoubtedly be confused at this point, so I will elaborate with a further example. Lets say that you and me are sat on two chairs facing each other in an empty room. I tell you there is a dog sat on the floor in between us; you would tell me I am wrong. You would come to this conclusion because your brain has told you that there is no dog. But my brain is telling me that there is a dog right in front of us both. Would your brain telling you that it doesn't make it not exist? Would my brain telling me that there is a dog make it exist? A third person could walk into the room and say that they saw a cat, but not one of us could prove that it exists or doesn't.

I hope that all those who have written articles for this title and said that this sort of questioning is a waste of time have a chance to read my view on the subject. I hope they realise that just because we think that we are six and a half billion compositions of tissues all touching, feeling, seeing, smelling and thinking, does not mean that we are. Of course it could mean that we are, but assuming this only closes doors to questioning other fundamental partitions of philosophy such as consciousness. It is our curiosity and inquisitiveness that allows us to understand our state of being deeper, and being able to question our existence is a giant leap in this quest for knowledge and understanding.

It might seem a bit lame to cite such a reference, but the Wachowski brothers' The Matrix is a good place to start if you are interested in these kind of existence theories. This film was a success on more than one level; it had action and excitement to thrill the masses and it challenged our perceptions of reality. The idea of the film was that the matrix was a virtual world pulled over every humans' eyes by machines, which had taken over the world. The humans were oblivious to this fake reality unless they were "ejected" from the matrix.

Back on topic, I think I shall try and sum up my main points concisely. The existence debate is not one sided, and saying that this debate is invalid ("a waste of time," I believe was said in another article) is deconstructive. The only way we can advance our understanding of the universe is to question everything. Only then can we find answers.

Learn more about this author, Jeremy Fisher.
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