Final answer:
The phrase "exist for" typically means the purpose or reason for the existence of something. It may also engage with philosophical discussions on the nature of existence, such as those presented by Kant, or deal with metaphysical debates about the dependency of existence on observation.
Step-by-step explanation:
The phrase "exist for" often refers to the purpose or reason behind the existence of something. For example, discussing why a state exists, one might say it exists for the benefit of its people, or to maintain order and provide services. In philosophical discussions, particularly in reference to Immanuel Kant, the term concerns the nature of existence itself. Kant argued that existence is not a property that can be attributed to an object; that is, you cannot define an object by its existence - existent and nonexistent unicorns, for instance, contain the same properties, excluding existence.
There’s also a metaphysical debate about objects that exist based on observation, touching upon elements of quantum theory and philosophy of perception. This involves inquiries such as whether something exists only when it is being observed or whether its existence is independent. When questioning if an unobserved object exists for someone to return to, the existential state of the object is what's in question.