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Full Idea
Meinong insisted (à la Anselm) that any possible object of thought - even a self-contradictory one - has being of a sort even though only a few such things are so lucky as to exist in reality as well.
Gist of Idea
Meinong said all objects of thought (even self-contradictions) have some sort of being
Source
report of Alexius Meinong (The Theory of Objects [1904]) by William Lycan - Philosophy of Language Ch.1
Book Ref
Lycan,William G.: 'Philosophy of Language' [Routledge 2000], p.14
A Reaction
['This idea gave Russell fits' says Lycan]. In the English-speaking world this is virtually the only idea for which Meinong is remembered. Russell (Idea 5409) was happy for some things to merely 'subsist' as well as others which could 'exist'.
Related Idea
Idea 5409 Normal existence is in time, so we must say that universals 'subsist' [Russell]
| 8250 | So-called 'free logic' operates without existence assumptions [Meinong, by George/Van Evra] |
| 8719 | There can be impossible and contradictory objects, if they can have properties [Meinong, by Friend] |
| 8971 | There are objects of which it is true that there are no such objects [Meinong] |
| 8718 | Meinong says an object need not exist, but must only have properties [Meinong, by Friend] |
| 7756 | Meinong said all objects of thought (even self-contradictions) have some sort of being [Meinong, by Lycan] |
| 15781 | The objects of knowledge are far more numerous than objects which exist [Meinong] |