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The metaphysical puzzle of individuation: What makes a "thing" a distinct, bounded object? At the quantum level, boundaries are fuzzy. At the cosmic level, everything is connected by fields and forces. Our everyday world of discrete objects (trees, cars, people) is a cognitive carving of a continuous reality. The hard problem is that "thingness" is not a fundamental property of the universe, but a useful fiction imposed by our minds. Where does a mountain end and the valley begin? At what point do the cells from your lunch become "you"? We live in a universe of processes, but we think in terms of nouns.
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