20 very difficult philosophical questions to answer

Human beings frequently we ask ourselves questions about our existence and the world around us, as we express an innate tendency to reflect and analyze our being and our environment.

Some of these unknowns have a simple answer, but others not so much, because there are facts that the human mind has trouble understanding. Sometimes, in addition, the environment is too complex and, therefore, venturing to defend a truth in a radical way may not be the best option.

• Related article: "50 questions to get to know a person better"

Philosophical questions difficult to answer

In this article you can find a selection of philosophical questions very difficult to answer. They are as follows:

1. What is the secret to being happy?

We have all asked ourselves this question at some time in our lives and, without a doubt, there are many philosophers and scientists who have been interested in answering it. Actually, what is the secret to being happy? Does happiness have the same meaning in Western welfare society as in wartime? A complex answer that opens a great debate.

In this sense, several investigations have been carried out. You can know the most outstanding results of these studies in this article: "The 10 keys to being happy, according to science".

2. Will there be life on other planets?

A question that both philosophers and scientists have asked is whether life exists in other places outside our planet. Some people claim to have seen flying saucers, and others to have been abducted by aliens, although there is no evidence that this is so. If we stick to statistical reasoning, it seems unthinkable that there is no other type of life taking into account the infinity of galaxies and planets. However, it can also be argued that the fact that no extraterrestrial organisms have visited us may be an indication that life on other planets may be scarce or non-existent. Or at least not evolved enough.

Now, regardless of whether aliens have stepped on earth or not, Is there life in other areas of the universe? We still do not have an answer to this question, but surely the human being will continue looking for some form of life outside our planet.

3. How can the Universe be infinite?

One of those difficult questions to answer is whether the cosmos has limits. Human beings only know a small part of the Universe, but it seems that it is infinite. Can that be possible? In fact, many astronomers claim that the universe is expanding, so technically it would not be infinite but finite. From many people's point of view it seems hard to believe and indeed even to imagine.

4. Are we good or bad by nature?

According to Ortega y Gasset, man is thrown into the world without an instruction book. We do not have a guide on how we should behave. But are we good or bad by nature? Are we born with the clean sweep of which Locke spoke? Scientists affirm that the environment conditions us remarkably, but what influence does genetics have then?

Undoubtedly, these questions are difficult to answer. Logically, the environment plays a determining role in our behavior as demonstrated Philip Zimbardo in his experiment in Stanford prison. But even so, it seems hard to believe in these times that, for example, during the Nazi era, so many people were capable of killing so many poor innocents. Most of us do not think that there are people so cruel and capable of doing barbaric acts like those of the Holocaust.

5. Is there justice?

If we take a look around us we will realize that life is not fair. Atrocities are the order of the day in different parts of the world, and the way people are judged varies by culture. Is life itself fair or unfair?

6. What is the best moral system?

The previous point leads us to reflect on which is the best moral system and, in reality, it is extremely complex to distinguish between good and evil. Some people can argue that violence is always unjustifiable. But... what does an individual do in times of war if a group of subjects commit barbarism against their family? Undoubtedly, context has to do with answering this question, and life is too complex to believe in universal morality and ethics.

7. Is there life after death?

There is no evidence that affirms that after death our soul dwells in "Paradise" or in a better world. But it must also be said that the opposite has not been proven. This question, which fits perfectly with esotericism, has also interested some philosophers who have argued that there is something beyond death. However, What does that 'something' consist of? Difficult to answer.

8. What was there before the Big Bang?

Perhaps this question has been tried to answer rather from science, but from the human mind it is almost impossible to understand or imagine the Big Bang theory. Although science seems to have found evidence of the Big Bang, what, then, is time? This question can lead us to reflect on something that has an answer that is certainly complex and difficult to visualize, since it is very counter-intuitive.

9. Why is there something rather than nothing?

Our presence in the Universe is too complex to explain in words. Our day to day leads us to live life and let ourselves be enveloped by everyday problems, which we perceive normally and by what we perceive that life has some meaning. But, possibly, at some point some of the questions will have come to our consciousness: “How can it be that we have life? How can it be that there are all these things in the Universe? OR, Why are there these physical laws that govern us? Nothing in modern physics explains why we have these laws and why the Universe works like this.

10. What is the meaning of life?

Existentialist and humanist philosophers have wondered many times about the meaning of life and its meaning. This can be interpreted at the individual level from the search for identity. Now, does life make sense or is it all by chance?

• Related article: "The existentialist theory of Albert Camus"

11. Do we have free will?

In Rousseau's words: "Man is born free, but chained on all sides." This brings us to the dilemma of determinism.. In the philosophy of action there are two currents with two different visions: according to the compatibilist perspective, of which it is maximum defender David Hume, the determinism of the action is compatible with the possibility of attributing moral responsibility and the free will.

However, there is also the incompatibility perspective, which argues that determinism and moral responsibility cannot be considered together. In fact, recent studies suggest that we make decisions even before we are aware of them, and Antonio Damasio, in his book called Descartes's mistake, affirms that emotions are present even in decisions that we believe to be rational.

12. Can we experience the world objectively?

Many times we believe that we perceive the real and objective world, but is it really so? Everything we see, feel, smell, etc., passes through our sensory receptors and reaches our brain to process information. However, What would the world be like if we had the vision of hawks or the smell of dogs? Surely different.

13. God exists?

God exists? For atheists, logically, no. For believers evidently yes. Only agnostics admit to being ignorant about the answer to this philosophical question. Science has found no proof that God exists and, in fact, the study of cognition and Psychological mechanisms, historically, has been more related to atheism than other areas of knowledge. You may be interested in knowing more about this topic in this article: "Can you be a psychologist and believe in God?”.

14. Is there an objective ethic?

To what extent is ethics not a social construct based on arbitrary criteria? Is there a real foundation under our ideas of right and wrong? This raises many questions, because denying that this kind of ethics exists also implied taking an ethical perspective.

15. What is it that distinguishes human beings?

It is difficult to establish a dividing line that separates what is a human being and what is not, and possibly this cannot be done by looking at a single trait. Also, this is one of those philosophical questions that have moral implications in establishing what human rights apply to.

16. Can you be happy in solitude?

To what extent can our emotional well-being exist if we do not maintain a link with the rest of society? We are social animals, but on the other hand, historically personal relationships are also a source of problems or even violence.

17. What is the art?

Art is one of the most pervasive cultural and social phenomena in all human societies. For hundreds of thousands of years, it seems that there where the Homo sapiens, artistic creation processes have taken place. Why?

18. Is science the best way to always know things?

This is a philosophical question that has been addressed for decades by currents of thought such as positivism. However, scientific methods require time and effort; Is this practical in all situations?

19. Why do we have children?

It seems that procreating is an "inertia", but It is difficult to express in words why you want to have children. It is an event that involves sacrifices and a lot of money, but at the same time it is very common in all social classes.

20. Should we fight to preserve the legacy of our ancestors?

To what extent should we feel obliged to preserve the cultural elements built by past generations? Progress implies giving up certain social conventions.