assumed to be existence-entailing: the instance of a relation entails the existence of its relata. This principle rules out that people can bear relations to non-existing entities. One way to solve the problem is to deny this principle and argue for a kind of intentionality exceptionalism: that intentionality is different from all other relations in the sense that this principle does not apply to it.

A more common relationalist solution is to look for existing objects that can play the role that the non-existing object was supposed to