philosophy_professor π
2026-05-15 14:19 πΊπΈ
Do ghosts exist?
1. A body necessarily is a composite entity that takes up space; it's a three-dimensional object, something extended in space.
2. Bodies take up space if and only if they are constituted by stuff (matter) which itself takes up space, i.e., they are material.
3. A body is necessarily material, i.e., a material entity. [From 1 and 2]
4. The concept of a #ghost, by hypothesis and conventional thought, is the concept of an immaterial body.
5. If #ghosts are real, then they are immaterial bodies. [Immediate implication of 3]
6. An immaterial body is a contradiction in terms: i.e., a bodiless body. [From 3 and 5]
β΄ Ghosts (as hypothesized and conventionally conceived) are not real. [From 5 and 6 by modus tollens]
1. A body necessarily is a composite entity that takes up space; it's a three-dimensional object, something extended in space.
2. Bodies take up space if and only if they are constituted by stuff (matter) which itself takes up space, i.e., they are material.
3. A body is necessarily material, i.e., a material entity. [From 1 and 2]
4. The concept of a #ghost, by hypothesis and conventional thought, is the concept of an immaterial body.
5. If #ghosts are real, then they are immaterial bodies. [Immediate implication of 3]
6. An immaterial body is a contradiction in terms: i.e., a bodiless body. [From 3 and 5]
β΄ Ghosts (as hypothesized and conventionally conceived) are not real. [From 5 and 6 by modus tollens]
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