Can you prove I exist?

I could be a bot.

Actually, the debate surrounding the traditional, Cartesian self is a very rich and interesting topic. Hume wrote that there is no way to empirically verify the existence of the self, and Nietzsche wrote "I am afraid we are not rid of God because we still have faith in grammar." Now, yes, Nietzsche was specifically talking about God, but when his point is drawn out to its inevitable conclusion, it seems that we should also rid ourselves of our belief in the unified self, and Nietzsche did, in fact, write (in his typically vague style) on this subject. There is no concrete, essential "I" as the structure of language would have us believe. But the idea of the fragmented self was not adequately developed until Derrida. It really leaves the postmodern man with a sort of identity crisis.

Vedanta says you, in the sense of you and I, dont exist. The Atman alone is.

We could cut you open and find out.

I believe that you exist.

I choose to accept the belief that you exist.

I can't prove anything. You are pre-disposed to believe or disbelieve. I can't change that, you can't change that, you may have no choice in the matter. You may become aware of your predisposition and act as though you had a choice, but even then, upon what are you basing your "choice"?

I can't prove anything. But I think it is perfectly reasonable to consider your existence.

Even if you don't exist, my belief in you does. It affects my thoughts, actions, and all of the conditions of MY existence. So your influence exists, regardless whether or not you exist.

But, of course, you are (or are not) independent of my belief.

How is this for a mind trip?

Because you ask the question, your existence stands proven.

Originally Posted by geckopelli

Because you ask the question, your existence stands proven.

unless the question is part of the illution...our reality is nothing more than frequency...frequency that forms holographic matter for our minds to find comfort in.

do you exist? do i exist? does the sky exist? yadda yadda yadda...is this real? what is real? what is the nature of realtiy?....perception is reality, therefore in this world of infinate...infinate variables...infinate equations...anything and everything exists, it all depends on who or what you ask...so i guess this existance exists as far as our perception is concerned...but whats behind that...beyond our perception?

Originally Posted by loverofthewoods

unless the question is part of the illution...our reality is nothing more than frequency...frequency that forms holographic matter for our minds to find comfort in.

your reasoning is faulty. if you precieve the "illusion", then the source of that preception (you) exist.

No perception- no illusion to ask silly question about.

I guess in an abstract sense I exist. But then again what is I? The person who exists a second from now is different than the one who existed a second ago. I have exchanged gases, dropped some skin cells, killed soem brain cells sweated out some waste. The abstract value of 'I' is an ever changing target. So something exists, but norrowing that down to a concrete thing is difficult. I, as an anomoly of processes which distrupt matter and energy in my relative space exists... I think.