Well, the answer is 42 anyway.
December 15, 2005 6:54 PM Subscribe
So I was doing a bit of "enhanced philosophizing" the other night, and I got the notion that maybe the point of life is not finding an answer, but finding a question. With that in mind, if you could have a definitive answer to any question (regardless of whether or not it's actually answerable), what would it be?
No, I'm not sure what mine would be.
No, I'm not sure what mine would be.
This post was deleted for the following reason: chatfilter
So I was doing a bit of "enhanced philosophizing" the other night
You know, I used to do a lot more of that in college. Were you using a particular blend of "enhanced philosophizing"?
My problem with finding the appropriate question would be that any question that would hold enough weight to be the question would have an answer that is too scary to actually know.
For example: Why are we here? Are you looking for an answer that says something like "No particular reason, it's just a cosmological hapenstance", or are you looking for "the Wiccans have it right, all the rest of you are just blowing hot air" ...or are you looking for "The aliens from Nebulon-9 accidentally dropped a couple of their pets on this planet while on a destress trip to the banks of the Ur and the Eurphretes, and, tada."
None of these answers are satisfying, and they would completely change my life. I won't stop striving throughout my life to continue to ask these questions personally, and come to terms with guesses that fit my personal world-view, but a definitive answer might actually damage my world. I fear it. Go away now.
posted by thanotopsis at 7:01 PM on December 15, 2005
You know, I used to do a lot more of that in college. Were you using a particular blend of "enhanced philosophizing"?
My problem with finding the appropriate question would be that any question that would hold enough weight to be the question would have an answer that is too scary to actually know.
For example: Why are we here? Are you looking for an answer that says something like "No particular reason, it's just a cosmological hapenstance", or are you looking for "the Wiccans have it right, all the rest of you are just blowing hot air" ...or are you looking for "The aliens from Nebulon-9 accidentally dropped a couple of their pets on this planet while on a destress trip to the banks of the Ur and the Eurphretes, and, tada."
None of these answers are satisfying, and they would completely change my life. I won't stop striving throughout my life to continue to ask these questions personally, and come to terms with guesses that fit my personal world-view, but a definitive answer might actually damage my world. I fear it. Go away now.
posted by thanotopsis at 7:01 PM on December 15, 2005
a man says "i always lie." does he?
posted by sergeant sandwich at 7:04 PM on December 15, 2005
posted by sergeant sandwich at 7:04 PM on December 15, 2005
How do we scentient yet transcend the 3 dimesnional world we live in?
posted by notcostello at 7:06 PM on December 15, 2005
posted by notcostello at 7:06 PM on December 15, 2005
What happened before the Big Bang?
What are the next winning lottery numbers?
posted by frogan at 7:08 PM on December 15, 2005
What are the next winning lottery numbers?
posted by frogan at 7:08 PM on December 15, 2005
Response by poster: What was in the Library of Alexandria? Or is that too literal. If not that, then it would be nice to know who shot Kennedy. Damn, still not philosophical enough.
This isn't too literal at all. I'm really interested in any big questions people have, philosophical or not.
posted by borkingchikapa at 7:08 PM on December 15, 2005
This isn't too literal at all. I'm really interested in any big questions people have, philosophical or not.
posted by borkingchikapa at 7:08 PM on December 15, 2005
The best question that can be asked is "What is the best question that can be asked?"
posted by vacapinta at 7:09 PM on December 15, 2005
posted by vacapinta at 7:09 PM on December 15, 2005
Okay, I will try that again.
How do we remain sentient yet transcend the 3 dimensional world we live in.
posted by notcostello at 7:09 PM on December 15, 2005
How do we remain sentient yet transcend the 3 dimensional world we live in.
posted by notcostello at 7:09 PM on December 15, 2005
What would it take to get everybody to voluntarily shut up more?
posted by PinkStainlessTail at 7:10 PM on December 15, 2005
posted by PinkStainlessTail at 7:10 PM on December 15, 2005
Isn't this exactly what askme is for? Are you saying that the questions we ask here are the meaning of life? Woah. *Hair flip.*
I would ask what the lotto numbers were. Being poor sucks, and working hard for the money sucks even more.
posted by JackarypQQ at 7:14 PM on December 15, 2005
I would ask what the lotto numbers were. Being poor sucks, and working hard for the money sucks even more.
posted by JackarypQQ at 7:14 PM on December 15, 2005
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by nitsuj at 6:55 PM on December 15, 2005