ABSTRACT
There were times in the universe’s past when no self-conscious beings existed, and there may be times in its future when all such beings have ceased to be. There are also unimaginably vast areas of the universe in its present form where no self-conscious creatures exist. Yet in all these cases one presumes that reality itself continues to exist despite there being no creatures to perceive it. And, of course, even where there are self-conscious beings we presume that reality persists even when it is not being perceived by them.
