The Most Philosophical Question Known to Man
By Alexia LOCHNER-ERNST
Edited by Lara KALANKE
Humans, for the most part, have no comprehension of existence. We do not know why we are here, nor what we are meant to accomplish. All we can do is try to make sense of it all. Why are we here? What is the reason for our being?
Humans arguably hold the most knowledge on Earth compared to other beings.
Solving a hard mathematical problem? Humans. Finding cures to diseases? Humans again. Writing literary pieces? Humans. Creating our own languages? Also humans. We observe something and automatically ask ourselves, “What exactly is happening?” Not only do we have consciousness, but we are aware of the fact that we have it. Yet, despite this intellectual capacity, there are still a few questions we cannot answer, one of them being: Why are we here?
The first issue with this question is that its answer cannot be scientifically verified. There is no single, ultimate resolution to it; it is subjective and can be answered differently based on various perspectives. If someone were to google this question, they would have to conclude that there is no exact response. Some websites may suggest a religious explanation (be it Christianity or any other religion), where humans bear the purpose of spreading God’s glory and eventually uniting with Him — of course after accepting the website’s cookies and privacy terms. Yet another site might conclude that we only discover the reason for our existence after our death.
Consider the words of Arthur Schopenhauer, a German philosopher and professor, who said, “The meaning of life is to deny it.”
Kierkegaard, another philosopher, believed, “The meaning of life is to obey God passionately.”, while Tolstoy argued, “The meaning of life lies in a kind of irrational knowledge called faith.” However, this faith was not tied to any specific religion but rather a deep, personal connection to a higher spiritual truth.
As you can see, none of these accomplished men seem to completely agree with each other. Each of them has his own belief; it may be because Kierkegaard is Danish and Tolstoy Russian, or because Schopenhauer had a longer lifespan than Kierkegaard. The reason therefor might also be a completely different one.
We don’t know. We also don’t know which one of them is right; all three of these men have been recognized and praised for their great intellect, yet none of them seem to agree with each other, nor do they have to. That’s because these beliefs are not based on intelligence, but on culture and diversity. You create opinions based on experience. And that’s what all answers to this question are – opinions.
The second problem with all replies to the issue at hand is that they are almost impossible to defend, regardless of the view you take. There cannot be substantial proof for the meaning of life, which is what most humans look for to accept an explanation for an unknown concept. There is no experiment, formula or rule that will resolve this question that humans strive to answer.
My third issue with the query “What is the meaning of life?” is the mere fact that we ask it. And this may seem ironic (which it is), but I do not like the question of my article in the first place. Why do we even have to know what the meaning of life is? Isn’t just being alive enough? Of course, I too am curious and would like to receive an answer, but I can’t, since as of now we don’t have a definitive response to this question.
At the end I have come to the conclusion that there may not be a meaning to life, and even so, we are here anyway. There does not have to be a meaning – life can be complete without one, but still, anyone should feel free to make sense of their own life.
Now I realise that the topic I have chosen for this article cannot be treated lightly. I do not want to be accused of blasphemy, nor do I want to convert the reader to another religion or belief; it is important for me to make this clear. I know as much about life as everybody else does, and maybe even less. The purpose of this article is simply to make you reflect – not to make you agree with me.
