Reply #33: "Government is an aritifical construct imbued by its creators" [View All]

[ZombieHorde]

Where does the artificial construct exist? I think it exists in the imagination.

with abilities and authority,

Where does authority come from? I think authority comes from our imaginations.

Does a corporation exist?

The concept of the corporation is a real concept, but corporations themselves are strictly imaginary. What is a corporation? I think corporations are an agreement made by some people. Where do agreements exist?

Does any legally recognized entity exist?

The concept is a real concept, but the entity is only in the imagination. Where else would it be?

By that criterion, nothing can be said to be imaginary because you have no basis for determining that some imaginary thing (the tooth fairy) doesn't exist in some remote outpost unseen by humans. How can one make any claims at all about such heretofore undiscovered entities? All you can say is "I have not yet determined that X doesn't exist, therefore I declare it imaginary.

There is some truth to this. Islamic suicide bombers could be right about the celestial virgins. Santa could be real. The Flying Spaghetti Monster could be real. Mind controlling toasters could be messing with both us right now. Maybe I am wrong to put on pants without concern they will turn into a herd of sensual water buffalo who will then invent a new form of cancer. We haven't proved otherwise. Right?

Government on the other hand, is strictly imaginary. It is nothing more than an agreement by some people. Where do agreements exist? We could, hypothetically speaking, discover the Flying Spaghetti Monster, but we will never discover a government that exists outside of the imagination.

Does a group exist?

Only in our imagination. The people are real, the activities the people do are real, but groups only exist in our imaginations. Some people think atheists are a group, and some people think atheists are not a group. Groups are not an inherent quality of matter, or any arrangement of matter.

Does history exist?

Events actually happened. At one point in time, my parents made me, but they are no longer making me. We can imagine them making me, but those are two different things.

Does consensus exist?

Consensus is people holding a similar opinion. Where do opinions exist?

Hoenstly, if you can't see the difference, then there's no point in discussing it further.

If the government exists outside of our imagination, then where is it? Some undiscovered location?

I try to answer all of your questions, try to answer mine.