Philosophy Wire by Spiros Kakos [2011-04-22]: An author of a popular book is accused that what he has written is just lies, created by his imagination [source: CNN News]. What defines what is real and what is not? Can we talk about something "not existent"? If we had not "discovered" that the author lied, the facts he mentioned in his book would remain "true" for us forever... Does Mickey Mouse exist? But we have many books written about him... Does the "X" person who lived in ancient Egypt, for whom we know nothing, exist? How can really such a person "Exist"? Can we think of something that does not exist? Parmenides said no... As Feyerabend said, at the times of Homer there was no distinction between "real" and "fictional" things - everything just "Were" (see Harmonia Philosophica) What about you? How much do you believe that your favorite literature hero "exists"?
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