lätet

Létet is a hypothetical ontological concept used in speculative metaphysics to denote a grounding condition that makes existence possible across different modalities. The term is derived from the Hungarian root lét, meaning existence, with the suffix -et to signal a theoretical construct. Its usage is not standardized and varies by author.

As an idea, létet is not a thing or substance. Instead, it functions as a background against which beings, properties, and relations obtain. In some accounts, létet is described as a universal substrate that underlies physical objects and abstract entities alike; in others it is a relational framework that emerges from the structure of possibility itself. The notion is often treated as a candidate for explaining how entities can persist through change and be referenced across contexts.

Interpretations of létet differ on whether it provides a necessary condition for cross-context persistence, or whether it is primarily a linguistic or cognitive category that helps articulate modality. Some proponents argue that létet grounds identity conditions over time, while critics contend that the concept is overly abstract, underdetermined, and difficult to test.

Létet is discussed in relation to other ontological notions such as substance, ground, and mere possibility. It is sometimes contrasted with the idea of existence as mere actuality, and with the notion of a background field in physics or metaphysical grounding in philosophy of language.

In practice, readers may encounter létet in theoretical discussions about grounding, persistence, and the relationship between language, thought, and reality. See also existence, ontology, grounding, modality, phenomenology.

References: The term appears in speculative essays and philosophical glossaries in online and fringe publications; it has no widely accepted canonical formulation.