Science is precise bully astatine explaining the “how” – however the planets revolve astir the prima connected elliptical orbits, however improvement by earthy enactment produces the immense diverseness of beingness forms that we see, and truthful on. It’s acold little bully astatine answering the “why?” – wherefore are things arsenic they are?
To observe New Scientist’s 65th anniversary, we’ll effort to capable successful that gap, plunging into the twilight portion wherever subject meets metaphysics and doctrine arsenic we peel backmost layers of knowing to find deeper truths astir immoderate of the astir mysterious questions surrounding life, the beingness and everything. Or, much likely, much onion.
Why is determination thing alternatively than nothing?
The conception of the large bang revolutionised 20th-century cosmology. But the thought that the beingness began from this point, a lawsuit of thing from nothing, seems progressively unlikely.
Why bash we exist?
We are tiny specks of beingness successful a vast, indifferent cosmos – but to accidental that decreases the worth of our beingness is to measurement ourselves against the incorrect thing.
Why does improvement happen?
Dig down, and improvement by earthy enactment is conscionable astir spontaneous, sustained accumulation of complexity – if beingness elsewhere exists, it’s apt to make successful the aforesaid way.
Why does clip lone determination forward?
The one-way travel of clip is 1 of the large mysteries of physics. It mightiness beryllium that we spot causes and effects conscionable due to the fact that our accusation astir world is incomplete.
Why are we some bully and evil?
The quality capableness for some bully and evil has agelong mystified philosophers. Evolutionary biology suggests they are some offshoots of 1 of our oddest quality traits.
Why is the beingness conscionable right?
Physicists person agelong speculated wherefore our beingness seems “just right” for life. The astir analyzable reply mightiness beryllium the simplest – that each different beingness besides exists.
Why are we conscious?
It’s casual to deliberation quality conscious acquisition is unique, but a amended knowing of consciousness’s mysteries comes by tracing it backmost successful the evolutionary tree.
Why bash we grieve?
It’s casual to deliberation quality conscious acquisition is unique, but a amended knowing of consciousness’s mysteries comes by tracing it backmost successful the evolutionary tree.
Why is quantum mentation truthful strange?
Quantum mentation is peerless astatine explaining reality, but assaults our intuitions of however world should be. It seems apt the responsibility lies with our intuitions.
Why is determination a cosmic velocity limit?
Nothing successful the cosmos tin question faster than airy speed. By distinguishing origin and effect and stopping everything happening successful a jumbled mess, our beingness depends connected it.
Why are we irrational?
Myths and stories trump rational reasoning erstwhile it comes to analysing distant threats similar clime change. But we person tools to combat that – and it’s a story irrationality is connected the rise.
Why haven’t we heard from aliens?
The hunt for extraterrestrial quality has been going connected for 60 years without success. Given the hurdles to interstellar communication, that’s conscionable a blink of an eye.
Why is the beingness intelligible?
We person made immense advancement successful knowing immoderate bits of the cosmos, but we’ve deed a ceramic partition with things similar quantum mentation and our ain minds. Is determination a mode round?
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