létezés

Létezés is the Hungarian term for existence—the state or fact of being real or present. In philosophy, létezés denotes the mode by which any object or subject is said to be, as opposed to nonexistence. The term is used in everyday language and in technical discussion to distinguish what is real or actual from what is imagined, fictional, or merely possible.

Historically, discussions of existence trace back to ancient and medieval thought and evolved through modern philosophy. Aristotle distinguished beings as such and developed theories about existence within metaphysics, including matters of act and potency. In later centuries, debates about existence intersected with arguments for the reality of God and the status of being’s predicates. Immanuel Kant argued that existence is not a real predicate that adds to a concept, a claim that has been debated extensively in analytic philosophy.

In the 20th century, continental philosophy reframed the question of existence. Martin Heidegger introduced the concept of Dasein, or human being-in-the-world, emphasizing temporality and embodiment in the experience of being. Jean-Paul Sartre’s existentialism asserted that existence precedes essence, meaning individuals first exist and then define themselves through choices. Albert Camus explored the tension between the human longing for meaning and the indifferent or irrational character of existence. Other approaches treat existence within ontology, modal logic, or empirical science.

Today, létezés remains central across philosophy, theology, cognitive science, and related fields. It raises questions about what it means for something to be, how beings relate to one another, and how language and concepts shape our understanding of reality.