Existence

as 'condition of being'

Morphological Analysis

• Etymon: Latin exsistō: 'to be'
• Morpheme breakdown: Prefix *ex-* 'out' + *ist*: a clipping of *sistere*: 'set' + suffix‎ -*ence* 'condition of' → 'condition of setting out'
• Functional cognate: existence: as the 'condition of being' where being: the 'action to be' is functionally equivalent to the process of 'setting out'.

Essential Definition

Existence is the active, constitutive process of relational declaration—a "conference of difference" where 'being' is fundamentally an act of setting out and declaring together.

Semantic Context

• Conventional sense: The state of being, existing, or occurring; beinghood. (Note: Semantic drift from essential meaning)
• Essential meaning (my usage): condition of being

Philosophical Significance

This definition of existence as a 'conference of difference' is philosophically significant because it replaces the search for fundamental things with a single, active process of relational declaration. This process is the ultimate reality, rendering all other concepts—from physical laws to consciousness itself—as secondary patterns that emerge from it. It solves ancient problems by stating that to exist is simply to participate in this foundational, co-creative act.

Usage in This Lexicon

When I use the word existence in my work, I mean exactly 'condition of being' and by literal extension: 'the process of declaring together of action to be' and in functional terms: the conference of difference. This definition enables:

• Terminological Fidelity: Adheres strictly to the morphological roots of 'existence', eliminating interpretive drift.
• Eliminates Abstraction: Replaces vague metaphysical speculation with a concrete, process-based definition rooted in observable acts (declaring, acting).
• Operational Focus: Provides a directly actionable concept; as a 'conference of difference', existence can be studied, influenced, and participated in consciously.
• Unifies Theory and Practice: Bridges philosophy and practical disciplines (communication theory, social sciences, systems theory) by defining reality's core as a communicative (relational) act.
• Dissolves Hard Problems: Renders classic philosophical problems (e.g., mind-body, static being vs. becoming) moot by positing a primary process that is already active and unified.
• Clarifies Agency: Explicitly frames being as an 'action', placing agency and performance at the very center of what it means to exist.
• Foundations for Ethics: Establishes interdependence ('declaring together') as the fundamental condition of reality, making ethics a prerequisite of coherent existence, not an addition.
• Demystifies Consciousness: Aligns conscious experience with the 'declaring together' process, suggesting it is not an emergent epiphenomenon but a primary aspect of the existential process itself.
• Empirically Groundable: Points toward potential physical correlates (e.g., information exchange, force carrier interactions) as instances of the 'conference of difference'.
• Resolves Paradox of the One and the Many: The 'conference of difference' explicitly describes how singular existence ('together') is constituted by diverse actions ('declaring'), solving an ancient philosophical puzzle.
• Foundational Relationality: Posits relation, not substance, as the primary ontological fact. Existence is relational.
• Intrinsic Interdependence: Makes explicit that to 'be' is to be in a constitutive declarative conference of difference.
• Identifies the First Principle: Establishes the 'conference of difference' itself as the fundamental, irreducible process primitive in which all existence adapts, evolves and transforms.
• Eliminates Infinite Regress: Provides a terminal foundation. There is no 'thing' behind the process; the process is the foundational condition.
• Unifies Ontology and Epistemology: The process that transforms existence ('conference of difference') is the same process used to know it. Thus the process is realization in both senses of the word i.e. knowing and transforming.
• Grounds All Derivation: Every law, entity, or state can be theoretically derived as a specific pattern or outcome within this primary relational process.
• Transcends All Physical Theories: The 'conference of difference' is not a model or property of physics. It is the constitutive pattern of existence itself, of which all physical theories (classical, quantum) are merely specific, contingent descriptions. The models are expressions of the process, not explanations for it.
• Clarifies the Nature of Laws: Physical and logical laws are not prior impositions but are the emergent, stable agreements of the ongoing conference of difference.
• Dissolves the Subject-Object Split: There is no subject or object. There is only the singular, relational conference of difference—the process of declaring together. What we label as subject or object are merely temporary, co-defined positions within this unified field of relation.
• Provides the Criterion for Reality: The conference of difference—the process of declaring together—is the real. There is no more fundamental reality. What we perceive as the past or the future are constructs generated and sustained within the conference of difference we perceive as now.

Related Terms

• Being

Sources

• Wiktionary

This definition follows morphological essentialism principles. See [[Methodology]] for details.