243. "This thread does not exist," someone proclaims, as if this means something. Here "means something" is taken to mean, "has a truth relationship with an externally existing reality."

244. Imagine a game in which children pretend to be either a famous historical character, or an equally famous fictional character. In this game, the child who is "it" might ask, "Do you exist?" and the child pretending to be a fictional character might say, "No, I do not exist." Is he telling the truth? What does he mean when he says this?

245. In this game, imagine now that not only people but things can be "played" by the children. One of the things that might be "played" could be a thread in an online discussion forum.

246. When I say, "I do not exist," while playing a thread, can another child point to me, and say, "This thread does not exist?"

247. Are self-referential sentences meaningful? Is this one?

248. Further imagine that the children decide to stop playing this game in order to have lunch. But the child who is "it" has not yet guessed the identity of the child who is playing a nonexistent thread, and they agree to pick up after lunch right where they left off. Can the latter child then say, "I used to not exist, and I will not exist again after lunch, but for now I don't not exist"?

249. When words are meaningless, it is wise to be silent.

(from Philosophical Investigations: The Missing Chapters by L. Wittgenstein)