Fundamental Questions #1
What drives us are the questions.
Take you pick; any one of these should get you into a nice bar brawl.
I've always held the theory that in the heart of every conflict there is a question with two or more answers that seem, at least on the surface, equally defensible. The opinions polarize, people take sides, and suddenly a group starts to fight for dominance over the other. It is not different than trying to win an argument with your neighbor. Sometimes this conflict escalates into violence and Wars. Sometimes people forget, along the way, the very questions that provoked the conflict, and the whole things just fuels itself like a match tossed into gasoline.
Eventually some conflicts are resolved, and one opinion obliterates the other. And it needs to keeps doing that, for as long as it can. There are some examples of this along History. Slavery, for example was a point of conflict for many centuries in human History, but it is not so anymore. There is a certain consensus today that slavery practices are not OK anymore. Sometimes the questions are so convoluted and the opinions so divided that it is doubtful the conflicts will ever be resolved.
Studying economical motivations are a cornerstone in understanding why certain groups of people defend a certain position, in my opinion. As I like to say, when in doubt, follow the money.
All this myriad of contradictions form the complexities of the human societies.
The Fundamental Questions, Page 1
"Does God exist?"
"Is the beauty of the universe an evidence of a Creator?"
"Are there absolute measures of right or wrong?"
"How far can the State dictate individual rights?"
"Should there be a limit into the wealth of individuals?"
"Why aren't we entitled to land as we are born into this World?"
"What legitimates private property?"
"Did humans evolve on Earth?"
"Does free will really exist?"
"If every functional dependency was known, would there still be random things?"
"What is the future of Mankind?"
"What sets apart a man from a God?"
"What is the nature of reality?"
"What is the history of the Universe (includes Earth, Moon, solar system,...)?"
"Does everything that could happen, does happen, somewhere?"
"Why can the Universe be described by Math?"
"What is the best way to organize society?"
"What happens to us after we die?"
"Where are the aliens, and why have we not presumably came across them?"
"What are the limitations of the Scientific Method?"
"Is it fair to prosecute someone for crimes they commited as their past-self?"
"From where does authority emanate from?"
"How to motivate one-self, or others?"
"Does being technologically driven, as a society, always leads to self-annihilation?"
"Was God ever on Earth?"
"Does God mind us, at all?"
"How many separate Gods are there in the Universe?"
"Are there souls or spirits?"
"How does a collection of neurons turns into self-awareness or sentience?
"Where does inspiration come from?"
"How does the brain work, exactly?"
"What are the most important questions to be asked?"
"What exactly is mass, energy and space, and how do they relate to each other?"
"What exactly is time?"
"Does fate exist?"
"Is there a purpose to living, something we should accomplish?"
"Why is the Universe larger than our ability to transverse it?"
"Is there a limit to how "smart" a human being can become? Are there things beyond our grasp?"
"What are the essential needs of a human being?"
"What are the superfluous needs of a human being?"
"Can we live forever, somehow? How? Should we?"
"Who is the wisest person that has ever lived?"
"How to provide everyone with adequate means of living?"
"How to cope with Mankind's growing population against our finite resources?"
"What is the root of all evil?"
"What virtues should be cultivated in a person?"
"Is the World a bad place or a good place to live in?"
"Is the World now better or worse than it was in the past?
"How to fight hunger?"
"Should we lean towards optimism or negativism?"
"How to eradicate material needs?"
"How to live better and get the most out of life?"
"How does one eat properly?"
"How does one sleep properly?"
"How does one exercise properly?"
"Is there a cure for every ailment, even though we do not possess it presently?"
"What will humans evolve to, as per natural selection?"
"How many kids should a person have?"
"Is there a reason why people are born with disabilities?"
"Is there a reason for people to acquire disabilities during their lifetime?
"Does being gay/trans/bi serve any biological or social function in the human species?"
"What is love?"
"Can you love more than one person at the same time?"
"Should humans mate for life?"
"Where do our feelings come from?"
"What is the purpose of our feelings?"
"Do we evolve to feel more or to feel less?"
"How to be a decent person?"
"If the world is an unfair place, should we be unfair players?"
"Is there more competition or cooperation in a society?"
"Under what circumstances is it ethical to take a life?"
"How to rehabilitate prisoners? Should we?"
"Is religion necessary?"
"Is religion more harmful to society than it is positive?"
"Is anarchy feasible?"
"Is communism really impractical, or was it just suffocated by capitalism?"
"Does capitalism leads to the self-annihilation of societies?"
"Did our scientists reach the correct determination regarding climate change?"
"What is the actual risk that a 10-km asteroid will strike Earth during the Human Age? Should we devise countermeasures?
"Can tornadoes/wildfires/floods/earthquakes/volcanoes be prevented?"
"Will we develop AI someday? Will this be the end our species?"
"Is the Internet in any danger to become sentient?"
"Is silicon-based life possible?"
"What is the truth about paranormal events?" [note: they scare the hell out of me]
"What is the truth about ball lightning?"
"To what degree and under what circumstances is it possible to predict the future?"
"Is the fact that there are Egyptian and Pre-colombian pyramids a mere coincidence? Did these civilizations traded information?"
"How were the Ancient Wonders of the World erected?
"How extensive was Egyptian knowledge?"
"Why was Isaac Newton obsessed at times with mystical/theological pursuits?"
"How did humans spread to virtually every habitat on Earth?"
"What was, geographically, the cradle of life on Earth?
"What is hidden inside the Vatican City?"
"Should the State hide information from its citizens? To what extent?"
"What is the legitimacy of secret societies?"
"Should "stolen" historical artifacts be restored to the correspondent modern nations?"
"What is the value of Peace?"
"Are people entitled to defend themselves? From physical aggressions? During wars, from other nations?"
"Is it ethical to be beligerent?"
"When should the rights of the majority supersede the rights of a minority?"
BANNER IMAGE CREDITS: ESA/Hubble & NASA
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