Bill and Bear

The great metaphysical question that goes back to George Berkeley is whether something can exist without it being perceived.

As in, ‘if a bear shits in the woods and no one was there to see it, did it really happen?’

Of course if you walked in said bear shit sometime after the fact you’d be in the affirmative camp unless you were a metaphysical philosopher.

In which case you’d still have to scrape that shit right off your shoe while denying it’s very existence.

Now, the internet poses an entirely different form of metaphysical quandary.

Just the other day it was reported that Bill Murray had decided to run for president. This story was picked up by just about all news agencies and reported far and wide.

Bill claims he hasn’t. But if enough people think that he has then he may as well have since the impact would be similar.

He’d never win and they’d never vote. And the point is made.

The great metaphysical question of today is whether something can exist because it is perceived to do so.

I just knew it; I wasn’t wasting my time in that first year philosophy course.