Three questions science and philosophy will likely never answer
September 17, 2025 DOI: 10.22541/au.175812554.41237640/v1 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Keywords | Philosophy of science Questions and answers Action physics Epistemology Engineering ethics |
| Key points | Argues that the origins of the universe, life, and consciousness share a fundamental problem that limits human knowledge and likely cannot be solved by empirical or rational methods. |
Abstract
Science has made great strides in answering many questions, but there are three major mysteries that most likely can never be solved. Despite belonging to different branches of science physics, biology, and neurosciencethey share the same problem that sets a fundamental limit to the very nature of human knowledge. These are fundamental inquiries into the origins of the universe, life, and consciousness that transcend empirical and rational methods in the search for definitive answers. Here, this problem is initially represented by a philosophical metaphor, the "empty room argument", which is then outlined in the context of big bang cosmology, abiogenesis, and consciousness science.