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Gassendi and Kant on Existence
- Journal of the History of Philosophy
- Johns Hopkins University Press
- Volume 45, Number 4, October 2007
- pp. 511-523
- 10.1353/hph.2007.0078
- Article
- Additional Information
In rejecting Descartes's ontological proof for the existence of God, Gassendi maintained that existence is not a property and Kant said that it is not a "real predicate." It is commonly supposed that both are making the same claim. Some have even thought that they advance essentially the same argument for that same claim. I believe none of this is correct. Gassendi and Kant offer different arguments. And they are arguing for different conclusions. These differences stem from a more fundamental one: they mean different things by existence.