Does Santa exist?

Here’s something that started bothering me during the holidays.

Most people would agree that Santa Claus does not exist, and that George W. Bush does exist. However, I happened to list the evidence supporting the belief in these two characters.

For Santa: I’ve personally seen him, I’ve talked to him on several occasions, I know lots of people who have done the same, I’ve seen coverage on him on the news, I’ve seen the direct results of his actions (bear with me for a moment here…) but most people say that he doesn’t exist.

For Bush: I’ve never seen him, except on TV; I’ve heard of people who have seen him, but never met any of them, either; I’ve never seen any concrete results of his acting in the world, only heard other people talk about them; but most people say that he exists.

Therefore we have a problem: it seems that, to accept that Santa Claus doesn’t exist and that George Bush does, I have to accept that what others tell me overrules what I myself have experienced - but can any philosopher agree to this? Or scientist?

How do I get out of this?

Follow Santa outside of the mall to where he has a smoke.

Join the army and be all Bush wants you to be.

There was a time when I thought that Santa could be in many places consecutively, like he had invisible reindeer or something and he could whoosh from mall to mall.

Then I saw two Santas at the same time. That kind of blew me away.

Then I learned that Mom and Dad were Santa.

Wow!

But I just lived with it. I seemed to handle the end of the Santa fantasy okay because Santa, as defined, violated known realities, an awareness of these known realities which oriented from my own ontology (though I didn’t at the time know what “ontology” was – I could only experience it kind of at a gut level).

I ultimately learned that the previous Santas were all imposters, and that only Saint Nicholas, long departed, qualified as “Santa”, and in only a real sense, sans myth.

Today I have grown up to accept that George W. Bush … is also an imposter.

However, I’m at a loss to know who the real President is or where he is.

But maybe, like with Santa, I’ll eventually grow up enough to ultimately learn that too.

For now, I just know that it can’t possibly be GWB …

… As no one could possibly be that mythologically ignorant of so much and be President.

I sure hope Santa exists…cause if I have to rely on my parents for presents anymore, I’m sure to be disappointed in the future.

There exists a belief that a ‘person’ such a Bush is validated by a physical existence. Our belief in authority (such as the media) to relay the ‘truth’, generates most of our justification, in the case of Bush I am the same as you, I must rely on the media and other authorities. This is of course weak. We cannot know that he really exists. I would say its highly likely that he does. Greater justification outside of the media, could be of course policey that Bush makes and implements. We certainly ‘feel’ or ‘see’ what affect these have on us, from this we may infer that there is a policy from seemingly a man known as GWB,…and is George Bush ( now with a slight of hand I declare him a person.) Bringing us to Santa. It would seem that we have from the above form of justification we have more ‘proof’ of Santa than Bush. We can however not infer that a man lives at the north pole and has elves making toys. We can however infer that millions of people, however how small believe toys will be brought to them by Santa on Christmas, that the spirit of giving, is part of Christmas traditionaly and Santa fits that essence well.

Is George a person? (Someone that we might have a relationship with?)
Is Santa a person?

Would George exist if no one believe in him?
Would Santa exist if no one believe in him?

Can we ‘know’ the truth about anything? Before we slide to far into skepticism. We should make more careful consideration of what Belief and Justification are, and of course where the truth actually slides in.

  1. Santa is the best, jolliest, happiest, red-suited, red-cheeked guy there is.

  2. Santa is also the perfect gift giver.

  3. Because he is the most perfect gift giver, he necessarily exists.

(After all, perfection by definition requires existence, because a santa that doesn’t exist wouldn’t be perfect.)

(apologies to St. Anselm)

Well, there are many dimensions to common sense that aren’t captured in such a simplistic reflection. Rational reasons. So you get out of it by using common sense.

By accepting that it was Bush who’s been giving us presents?

Santa doesn’t exist.

But Father Christmas does :laughing:

Santa is a metaphor for something that exists. Except, on that level, instead of kids believing in what doesn’t exist, we’re adults not believing in what does exist.

After thinking Santa exists, and then being disillusioned by finding out the physical representation of Santa doesn’t exist, we miss the bigger pitcure because our minds have already been played with about it.

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