Existence is the state of having being or reality. It is often contrasted with essence, since one can understand the essential features of something without knowing whether it exists. Ontology studies existence and differentiates between singular existence of individual entities and general existence of concepts or universals. Entities present in space and time have concrete existence, in contrast to abstract entities, like numbers and sets. Other distinctions are between possible, contingent, and necessary existence and between physical and mental existence. Some philosophers talk of degrees of existence but the more common view is that an entity either exists or not, with no intermediary states. It is controversial whether existence can be understood as a property of individual objects and, if so, whether there are nonexistent objects. The concept of existence has a long history and played a role in the ancient period in pre-Socratic, Hindu, Buddhist, and Daoist philosophy.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Existence

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1623:

After the death of Gregory XV, a papal conclave in Rome elected Maffeo Barberini as Pope Urban VIII. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1623_papal_conclave

1944:

World War II: Allied forces attacked German fortifications at Saint-Malo, France, beginning the Battle of Saint-Malo (pictured). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Saint-Malo

1979:

An earthquake struck along the Calaveras Fault near Coyote Lake, California, injuring sixteen people. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1979_Coyote_Lake_earthquake

1997:

Korean Air Flight 801 crashed into a hill on approach to Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport in Guam, killing 228 of the 254 people aboard. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_Air_Flight_801

2011:

A series of riots broke out in several London boroughs and in cities and towns across England in response to the shooting of Mark Duggan by Metropolitan Police officers. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killing_of_Mark_Duggan

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

nothingburger: 1. An unimportant person; a nobody, a nonentity. 2. Something of less importance than its treatment suggests; also, something which is bland or unremarkable in appearance or impact. 3. (originally and chiefly US, informal) Of less importance than its treatment suggests; insignificant, unimportant; also, bland or unremarkable in appearance or impact. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/nothingburger

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

Not in vain the distance beacons. Forward, forward let us range. Let the great world spin for ever down the ringing grooves of change.   --Locksley Hall https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Locksley_Hall