If I were to be asked to describe my own species in just one word, I would probably use the word, “seeker”. Everything that we are today is because of this one quality of ours.
Our journey from primates to modern humans took us millions of years. During this period, we evolved into the only intelligent beings on the planet, slowly discovering and inventing the millions of things that all form a part of the collective human knowledge.
We truly have come a long way since the days of living in a cave and hunting animals with spears and stones. Today, we are actively exploring the cosmos and are even able to manipulate the various elements of the planet itself.
But our search for knowledge has just begun, it seems, if you look at the larger picture and the grand scheme of things. There is so much we still don’t know and understand that you and I might be long gone by the time we even come close. Today, I want to talk about some of the biggest questions we have.
1. How The Universe Came To Be
The origin of the universe has always been a big mystery and almost an obvious question for anyone who would spare even a few moments contemplating the entirety of existence and where it came from.
Right now the general consensus among scientists is that the universe came into existence as the result of the big bang. Basically, it states that all of existence came to be from a single, tiny, but unimaginably dense point, and over 13.8 billion years, expanded to the current universe we all know and love!
This answers a lot of questions but raises even more. For example, what was there before the big bang? What was that single point surrounded by if there was no existence itself? How did that single point come to be if there was nothing before it and how could it give birth to such a huge universe?
2. Are We Alone?
Our universe is so unfathomably huge, that it’s just crazy. Scientists are now saying that there could be as much as 2 trillion galaxies in the universe. That’s right. 2 Trillion. With a T!
Imagine how many stars could be in all of these galaxies and how many planets, revolving around these stars. The number starts to get pretty big. Mind-bogglingly big!
In such a huge universe, it is statistically impossible for us to be the only life out there, and yet, we are still to encounter an extra-terrestrial being. Neither has one come to greet us nor have we seen any signs of one anywhere we’ve looked. So, where is everyone else? This question has haunted mankind for a long, long time now and we have no idea how long it will continue to do that!
3. Is Reality Even Real?
There is this theory called the “Simulation Theory” which asserts that all of reality could be nothing but a simulation inside a computer like device of some higher intelligent beings.
If that is true, we are nothing but game characters inside of some being’s video game and reality itself is not real. This has huge implications if you think about it.
We could all be working tirelessly towards nothing. Our lives may be totally meaningless and our entire existence might be at the whims of these beings and could be erased in an instant. Just as we format a pen drive!
4. What Happens After Death?
This is a question that has driven many people mad. Literally! There was a person who even killed himself to prove the existence of an afterlife. You can check this story out. It’s quite interesting.
According to religious texts, there is an after life where the soul leaves the body and wanders off to. Medical science disagrees with this and simply states that a person dies when the body is not longer suited to support life.
I have thought about it quite a bit too and I always get stuck on one question. At the instance of death, a person is alive just a second before death and just a second later, he is dead. So, what changes during that 1 second, that all of a sudden an alive person becomes dead?
5. Origin of Life
The origin of life on the planet is a mystery almost as old as the planet itself. It is estimated that the Earth is 4.8 billion years old and that the first simplest life form came to be around 4 billion years ago.
Although there are many theories, we just don’t know how a bunch of non-living matter came together to form a living matter that is able to move, eat, reproduce and even evolve!
Some say that the conditions were just right in the early days of the planet and some say that life might have started elsewhere in the universe and brought to Earth by ancient asteroids. This is one of the toughest questions to find an answer to because the answer to this might have been destroyed or lost to time and we may never find out.
All images used are taken from the public domain.
Hi everyone , i can recomend the great book of Yuval Harrari "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" that talks a little bit about the 5th question...and many others
https://www.amazon.com/Sapiens-Humankind-Yuval-Noah-Harari-ebook/dp/B00ICN066A/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1499372316&sr=1-3&keywords=Yuval+Noah+Harari
There are some really great books on that topic and most of them are interesting for sure!
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Thanks for the kind words. Really :)
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I would say there are few other big questions such as:
Yes there are a lots more questions. I think I will have to make several parts of this post to write about all of them.
I think you've summarized the biggest questions we have now, we had for the last thousands of years and probably will stay with us for another thousands.
When I was a child, I used to ignore this big questions everybody has and focused more on things like. Why is the snow white? Why is a chair called chair? and others in the same area. Fortunately, for this ones I found the answer.
haha yeah, children have curiosity about almost everything and that perfectly explains my point. We are naturally curious about stuff.
My 5 biggest task for humanity:
Those are some really big societal questions and finding the answer to each would need it's own revolution!
Biggest? I would rather get answers to more mundane questions like. How to cure (every kind)cancer? How to stop hunger and suffering? and so on. Do the questions you have presented here have a measurable impact on the quality of our lives?
These questions, their answers and a lack of answers can motivate life or suicide, love or selfishness, murder or mindfulness.
I certainly believe they are important questions.
The point you make however is crucial in that spending ones time pondering these questions while failing to do all we can to alleviate the immediate life threatening and torturous conditions which enslave so many is not the least bit enviable and our conscience should steer us toward the latter activities.
How to cure (every kind)cancer? CRISPR!
How to stop hunger and suffering? In Vitro Meat!
I don't think this is about the most urgent questions but, well... the biggest ones.
The questions you pose are certainly not mundane. They are the big questions facing humanity too. And yes, it would have a measurable impact on the quality of our lives because you never know what kind of new questions you can unlock by solving these. And it's not like it's an either/or case. We can work on these questions as well as solve the other problems we are facing. There are enough of us to take on all these :)
Wonderful read! :) I will allow myself to add one more question: What is the purpose of our existence? I don't know about other people, but I find myself thinking about these things quite often.
We exist and some think, as I do, that we are part of an eternal existence.
Our options may well be dependent on our conformity to principles of creation or annihilation, as I believe we are taught through our connection to the omnipresent creator, the spiritual entity we are part of, which gives substance to every manifestation. We are also taught through the interpretations of those who receive inspiration and often misinterpret, misrepresent and compile into religions.
If this is true, then the purpose which devolves upon us is to learn and sustain the creative forces to the best of our ability, that we might be afforded the maximum opportunity to wield these forces to the end that we may increase the joy which emanates from the creative rather than the destructive path.
Obvious subset objectives include, procreation, the most divine of all potentials, nurture of said creation and then nurture of all things we have occasion to come into contact with.
These principles, along with the obvious beatitudes, qualify us for the task of creation, while the opposite feeds entropy and will ultimately be severely restricted in capacity since creation is good while dissolution is undesirable.
Yeah, that is a big one!! There are a lot more questions that we need to think about and I think I will need to write more parts to this one to include them all.
Eventually, we still alive . we need being a good people
support other people,family,friend
Then after death , we will happy :)
hahaha
haha, I hope we are happy at least after death!! ;)
this post reminded me of a brilliant (in my opinion) quote from Moby Dick:
"As for me, I am tormented with an everlasting itch for things remote. I love to sail forbidden seas, and land on barbarous coasts."
For me, this sums up mankind´s infinite quest for knowledge and the further pursuit of the unknown.
Carl Sagan also mentions this idea in his book "pale blue dot" - definitely worth a read.
That quote pretty much tells it how it is. Perfect!
Just my two cents.
Or maybe we are immortal in the “real life”, but are so bored by that, so we invented death for this simulation/VR we are living in right now to make it more precious.
You make some really great points! Thanks for writing about how you felt about each thing. :)
Read a lot of your posts today, mind blowing dude :D
It makes me question the entire existence of reality
Thank you :)
Great post!
For me I'm wondering what new breakthrough discoveries we will make in science that can open up a whole new field of possibilities for engineering.
This always was what made me, an economist, spend hours reading Richard Feynman, and end up working in the Space sector.
Oh yes, I am always all ears for any new breakthroughs in science and technology. I have always been keen since my childhood and I just can't stop thinking about all this stuff. hehe.
I hope science quickly brings us a lot of the answers that we are seeking.
Indeed! What makes it even more exciting is that historically speaking nobody knew how much a scientific breakthrough would change our world until years after its initial discovery.
I'm wondering what knew gained knowledge we have made which could radically change different sectors of society or industries, but where we just don't know yet. How do you think can we make our increased mastery of the Universe "trickle down" faster from scientists to engineers to innovators and entrepreneurs?
yeah, that is true. It always has an effect in some way or the other.
About the trickling down, I personally think that access to knowledge shouldn't be restricted. The internet can help immensely in that regards. And then we need to allocate more funds towards science as a species. That will get things done a lot faster. Also, cross border sharing of knowledge should be as easy and free as possible. I believe that science is not a race between nations but a common objective for all of humanity.
Exactly. This is why I spent a lot of my time co-founding the Spaceport Norway conference which we held this year. To showcase space technologies and new breakthroughs to non-space industries such as the local oil and gas, robotics, maritime and ICT sectors we have locally.
Indeed science should be the collective effort to enhance the knowledge-toolkit available to innovators and engineers in all countries around the world who can then take enhanced knowledge and apply it locally. :)
It is initiative like those that will truly help expand scientific knowledge to everyone in the world. We badly need it right now!!
There are some major breakthroughs in my opinion. There is just do much it is beyond our puny minds.
I have found some really interesting stuff which is buried in some of my posts on science, philosophy and religion.
While you certainly pointed the most interesting and hardest questions, I have some more questions:
How does consciousness work?
What is dark energy?
Are there parallel universes?
What's on the other side of black whole?
How do we achieve general artificial intelligence?
Have we already passed the point of no return in terms of climate change?
And when can I buy a personal robotic butler, a flying car and have sex on the holo deck?
Consciousness is everywhere, surrounding and inside all things, holding it all together. As in "The light of Christ is the power of the Sun and the creator, which manifests all things". As in the concept of Vishnu.
There is no dark energy or dark matter. These concepts were conceived to explain the falsely perceived force required to result in an acceleration of expansion of the Big Bang universe, which acceleration has since been disproved.
The false deduction was the result of a misinterpretation of the implications of 'blue shift' which, rather than implying that there was an acceleration away from the observer, actually implied an older object. A simple Goolge search will locate the source of this information.
There are no Black Holes and the same source provides evidence of this postulation. The Black Hole concept is even more ridiculous than the Big Bang theory which involves more assumptions than measurements.
A family member of mine has has a personal robotic butler for some years now. I am not certain of its functions and it probably will not do what you imagine but it is certainly already possible.
Yes there are a lot more questions than I could fit into this post. I will write part 2 and 3 of this post to talk more about these.
Ha ha... I just posted your question on consciousness. I think it is definitely top five material.
Yes, it's still a great mystery.
A theory says that our consciousness is actually "god's" consciousness we are all experiencing from an individuals perspective. But in the end this consciousness is what created the universe and connects all of us.
But not sure about this.... :D
Right on :)
This is Deep!!
I am still thinking about, what happens after death?
Thanks mate! :)
Yeah, it's all so overwhelming to think about.
Such a valuable post buddy.
Thanks for sharing it with us @sauravrungta
Thank you for reading :)
I love your posts. You're a brilliant man! I like your posts!
Thank you :)
These questions has no answers only god knows. :-)
I am sure there are answers to these questions and that one day we will find out.
Something to ponder!
Universe ( Uni = one/ Verse) Uni-Verse
Genesis 1
In the begining God created the heavens and the Earth (1 Verse)
Blessings to you!!
Well, there are talks about the multiverse too!
The Universe and I get on well. I see the multiverse as another ridiculous notion, once again born of a lack if comprehension on the part of the scientists who jump to conclusions like, " a universe for every possibility as to where an electron might exist as it is really nowhere and yet everywhere. "
Man's knowledge with be revealed as foolishness and I suspect this falls squarely into that category.
Here is an explanation of the 'real' evidence rather than imaginary concepts people may suppose the multiverse theory is base on. Phys.org Well my response is quite simply, "Whatever could they be smoking?"
These are quite interesting set of questions you have here. Plus you have also provided the answers for the same . You're right in most of your questions. We, indeed, have come from a very long way to this technologically advanced world.
But I think, we're not gonna stop here. Now humans are planning to fathom the whole universe, moon and mars have already bee accomplished now then next milestone should be Jupiter I guess.
But while we're running after this tehcnological advancement, we're leaving behind our humanity itself. Now, you can observe anywhere that every person is for itself. No one cares about anyone but itself. If you're a religious person then you should already know that we have given this life for a greater purpose and helping others is among them. Hatred, greed and selfishness are the new milestones of the modern world.
So the greater question should be, Are we living this life or just spending it ?
Anyways great article, quite interesting I would say @sauravrungta
Yeah, we still have a long ways to go and sure technology has shaped the society that we live in today a great deal but at the end of the day it is upon us what kind of society we want to create.
Hy @sauravrungta.
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So much food for thought. About that topic where do we go after we die... I've been thinking about that a lot. My family is Buddhist and they believe in reincarnation. My mom always tells me that my dad is my dad in my current life because I must have done something good in my last life, and this life he is repaying it back to me by being my dad. While, I don't know if that is true, I would like to think that our energy and souls somehow recycle into our next life. It's comforting to think that all the important people in my life were important to me in my last life.
People hold the same belief in my religion too (Hinduism) but as like you, I don't know what to think about it. I hope we can find an answer sooner or later.
I guess we find out when we pass on. :)
Do one-legged ducks swim in a circle? This one's been troubling me for a while...
hahah! I guess you would have to conduct an experiment to find out!
I think this one could definitely be in the top five: what is consciousness?
yeah, it is one of the big ones. Maybe I'll write a whole post about it.
you know @sauravrungta what is the most interesting and fascinating thing about the real knowledge,........... You become more thirsty to get it after you taste it,..... This is what is happening to us as far as your five questions are concerned,.........
yup, this has always happened to us. The more we know the more we want to know. In a way we are on this endless path of knowledge and in my own opinion, this is what gives our life meaning.
A lot to think about.
My Friday night got a lot more interesting with these questions
:P
Great post!!
haha yeah, weekends are great to think about all this deeper stuff. Thanks for reading :)
This is a great article, thank you. i am always talking about thess subjects with my fiance, we are also very curious humans!!
Yeah, really interesting to think about tech and what it might do for us and the world :)
Thanks!
There are not thousands but hundreds of billions of planets. The universe really is unimaginable big!
The Universe is ! It cannot be big or small if it has no beginning or end.