Existence as the Foundation of Morality

Existence is used in two different ways: as in being as opposed to nothing, and existence in the sense of a matter of fact-about the being of a particular thing.

Existence as being is a true relation which applies to any-thing at all. I can say “Aristotle is male” which is true only if I am in fact that biological sex, but that “Aristotle is” means something else. The being of “Aristotle is” the very reality of such a subject that it can predicated of something. Being seems to be an internal relation, belonging to all things and as such is a necessary relation of all true things, whereas existence as a matter of fact is an external relation contingent upon the truth of something “in the world."

Existence as opposed to being is to be some particular thing as opposed to no particular thing. More specifically, that there is at least one matter of fact to make the proposed relation of subject to predicate true. This is what is referred to in logic as the existential quantifier, "at least one.” For existence to exist means that being is “grounded” in factual relations. To be is to be a particular thing. 

A fact relates to something which can be perceived from the world of existent things. There is no difference between being and what can be perceived, for nothing cannot be perceived. Our minds are capable of discerning the nature of things, though we may err.

To be conscious is to be conscious of something. Our consciousness establishes identity, that a thing is itself and not something else given its unique nature. From identity we derive the other laws of thought: noncontradiction (something can’t be something else), excluded middle (something can’t be itself and not be itself), and causality (a thing acts as itself). 

If existence exists, then the nature of something is determined by its factual nature. To be is only meaningful in relation to particular things, and so existence has external relations which make it meaningful, as opposed to a purely internal relation. All things are only connected internally in that they exist, but the nature of their existence is unique.

Because one exists in certain objective conditions unique to one self, these conditions of existence are what determine what one ought to do. One cannot deny one’s existence, but at the same time it is possible that you never existed for to exist means to be that particular set of conditions. By continuing to exist as opposed to not exist, you as a self-aware being accept the value of your own particular existence. Self-preservation is the most fundamental value as it requires continual effort to resist physical homogeneity with the environment. There are objective conditions which maximize your existence relative to other things, given your nature as a particular being.