I have a friend who said something that I still think about frequently, especially nowadays when I’m approaching another phase of my life. When discussing a general interest in philosophy, I mentioned that I like to hear and read things about different moral and ethical philosophies and conundrums in those spaces. Nothing really in depth, mind you, just general overviews and some applications of them in popular culture. When I said this, my friend told me that she didn’t like philosophy. And when I asked her why she didn’t, she said that it was because there were only ever questions. Just questions from a question, never any definitive answers. 

I think it’s been about seven or so years since she said that and I’ve thought about it for a while now. It makes sense, at least from my experience (which, again, is very limited). Because we’re bound to the limitations imposed by our physical senses, it’s difficult to really tease out anything abstract. We can’t even properly define and communicate emotions across the board.

But, at least for myself, I don’t think this is necessarily a bad thing, the whole question into question into more questions bit. I think life would be easier if we had definitive answers to things. But, at least at this point in time of our history, that would defeat the purpose of us living. Finding things out in general and in certain ways opens possibilities for us to connect and share information with one another. This, in turn, opens possibilities for us to make our lives better.

At the same time, this seems counterintuitive, because the purpose is still meant to improve and make the most out of our lives. So wouldn’t it be simpler to just have an answer for things such as moral and ethical dilemmas? I would think so, but that seems like a loaded question, as there are so many things that factor into a person living their life. 

All that I can say is that I’m not much of a scholar, but I can tell you that I can’t give an answer, not even really to one that pertains to myself. Perhaps because I try to put a lot of weight into other people and their perspectives and impacts. But, I’m sure even that could be questioned.