Philosophy always comes to the aid of science when it cannot cope with the explanation of those around us or even fictitious phenomena. Philosophers can afford to speculate about metaphysics and morality to try to shed light on the most basic existential questions. But, unfortunately, the answers to some questions may be beyond our understanding. Consider seven mysteries of philosophy that may remain unsolved.
1. Why does anything exist at all?
Our very existence in the Universe is so amazing that it is difficult to convey it in words. And although the everyday life of our life makes us take it for granted, sometimes we stop, look at the world from the outside and wonder why everything in the Universe is exactly what it is? Why does everything obey such precise laws? Why does anything exist at all? We live in a universe where there are spiral galaxies, the northern lights and Winnie the Pooh. Modern physics does not explain why such laws work in the Universe, and not some completely different ones. Moreover, the best explanation of philosophy - the anthropic principle - is too similar to tautology. "We see the Universe in such a way, because only in such a Universe could an observer, a man, arise."
2. Is our Universe real?
The classic Cartesian question. How can we be sure that the world around us is real, and not just a grandiose illusion, supported by invisible forces (for example, Rene Descartes called them "an evil spirit" who is trying to deceive him)? Perhaps we all live in some kind of life simulator, matrix if you will. Thus, the question arises - maybe the people who created this simulation also live in the virtual world? In addition, it is possible that the creators of the life simulator are also taking part in it. Then our memory and our real personalities can be temporarily suppressed during the simulation for a better immersion. So how do you understand what is real and what is not? The hypothesis of modal realism, which allows for the existence of many possible worlds, suggests that if the world around us seems rational, consistent and obeying strict laws,then we have no choice but to recognize it as real.
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3. Do we have free will?
The question is also known as the dilemma of good and evil. We do not know whether our actions are determined by the chain of events that preceded them, by some external force, or whether we make decisions guided by our own desires and willpower. Philosophers have argued over this question for thousands of years, but there is still no definite answer. If our decisions are dictated by chains of cause and effect, then, as determinism claims, we have no free will. But if everything is exactly the opposite, then, according to indeterminism, our actions are random, which can also be considered a lack of free will. Again, the libertarian line of philosophy argues that the idea of free will is logically incompatible with deterministic views of the world. The situation is also complicated by the latest discoveries in the field of neurosurgery - it turns out thatour brain makes decisions even before we even realize them. But if we do not have free will, then why did humanity need such an advanced mind, consciousness in the process of evolution? Quantum mechanics confuses everything even more, claiming that our universe lives according to the laws of probability and that it is impossible to predict anything unambiguously.
4. Does God exist?
Basically, we cannot know whether God exists or not. Both atheists and believers are mistaken in their loud statements - only agnostics are right. Agnosticism claims that the possibilities of human cognition are limited, we do not know enough about the structure of the Universe and we cannot objectively look at the world in order to know the complete picture of the world, which means that we cannot assert whether there is a higher mind hidden from us. Many are inclined towards naturalism - the assumption that everything in the universe is subject to natural laws and is left to itself. However, this approach does not exclude the possibility of the existence of a certain creator who initially launched this natural course of things, but did not interfere with it (philosophy of deism). Among other things, as discussed above, we can generally live in a simulation program,in which the programmer gods rule everything. Or perhaps the Gnostics were right when they argued that higher beings inhabit deeper levels of reality that we have no idea about. Moreover, such creatures do not have to be omnipotent and omniscient, as in the Abrahamic religions (Islam, Judaism, Christianity) - they just need to be powerful.
5. Is there life after death?
Life after death is a more abstract concept than playing the harp while sitting on a white fluffy cloud, or eternal torture in hell. In any case, we cannot ask the dead if there is something “on the other side”, and we can only guess. Materialists believe that after death there is nothing - our physical shell, which supports the mind, disintegrates, and this is where everything ends. But this is only a hypothesis, which may never be proven. Nothing, in fact, prevents us from believing that we have more than one chance to live life - why should not the Universe, for example, be looped and reborn again and again? Why not exist multiple Universes, where we will constantly exist in one form or another?
6. Is it possible to perceive something really objectively?
There is a difference between an objective understanding of reality and an objective perception of it. We perceive the world around us with the help of feelings and inferences. Everything that we know, everything that we have ever touched, seen and smelled - all this passed through the filter of many psychological processes. Each of us has our own unique perception of the world. A classic example is that red is perceived differently by each person. Each person's sense organs work a little differently, and each person's information is processed in the brain, passing through the filter of life experience, which is also unique for everyone. But since the universe seems to be consistent and, to some extent, knowable, is it safe to saythat its true objective qualities cannot be known? There is no single answer - Buddhist philosophy is based on the impossibility of full knowledge of things and phenomena, "emptiness", and Plato's idealism asserts the diametrically opposite.
7. What is the best value system?
As such, we cannot perfectly distinguish between “right” and “wrong” actions. However, throughout human history, philosophers, theologians, and politicians have always argued that they have found the best way to assess the fairness of actions and have developed ideal norms of behavior. But everything is not so simple - life is too complex and diverse to deduce absolute ethics and morality. The golden rule of morality is great (the idea that you need to treat people the way you want to be treated), but it does not regulate the attitude towards yourself in any way and does not allow you to establish a fair punishment for a crime. Moreover, it can even be used as a means of justifying tyranny. As a general guideline, this rule does not handle difficult situations. For instance,is it worth sacrificing a minority for the benefit of the majority? Whose life is more valuable from a moral point of view - a human child or an adult anthropoid primate? Neurosurgery has proven that morality is not just a cultural feature, but also a part of psychology inherent in us. At best, we can only outline the norms of morality, but the sense of justice will inevitably change over time.