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Full Idea
The belief of the existence of anything seems to suppose a notion of existence - a notion too abstract, perhaps, to enter into the mind of an infant.
Gist of Idea
Accepting the existence of anything presupposes the notion of existence
Source
Thomas Reid (Essays on Intellectual Powers 2: Senses [1785], 05)
Book Ref
Reid,Thomas: 'Inquiry and Essays', ed/tr. Beanblossom /K.Lehrer [Hackett 1983], p.165
A Reaction
But even a small infant has to cope with the experience of waking up from a dream. I don't see how existence can be anything other than a primitive concept in any system of ontology.