'Why?'

[Ingrid in grids]

On their end of final year exam, Philosophy students at Cambridge were given the question: 'Why?'

How would you answer this?

 

[InsatiableCuriosity]

What a great question!! This would have to be the fundamental difference between modern man and what we believe we know, at this time, of the rest of the animal kingdom. Our need to understand why is what is fundamental to the evolution of man's skills and mind. It is this cognitive process that leads us to investigate that which we do not understand.

We once thought that the animal world did not ask "why?", but now, through our own quest for "why?", we have been able to determine the capacity of many animals to solve problems to gain access to food, freedom and other rewards.

We now know that they are capable of solving complex problems over time and in many instances passing that knowledge on via what we suppose is genetic memory. In order to do this their brains must be capable of asking the question "why not?" and working around that to find their solutions.

Is this the precursor to the higher problem solving questions and the more abstract question of "why?"

 

[miss fortune]

now, I know that according to the urban legend the correct answer is "why not?" (coincidentally, that's also my blog title )

being disagreeable though, I'd probably be tempted to say something like "because, like, I totally said so! "

 

[Little_Sticks]

On their end of final year exam, Philosophy students at Cambridge were given the question: 'Why?'

How would you answer this?

I got it now.

Edit: I didn't know what else to do so I thought I would waste four years of college figuring it out.

 

[KDude]

"I hate to be a party pooper, but this question needs to be more specific."

..Might put an ascii Picard facepalm underneath or something.

 

[wolfy]

Why not?

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[Phantonym]

now, I know that according to the urban legend the correct answer is "why not?" (coincidentally, that's also my blog title )

being disagreeable though, I'd probably be tempted to say something like "because, like, I totally said so! "

Totally!

 

[Take Five]

"Give me my money back."

 

[Cephalonimbus]

Because it's an unanswerable question, therefore enabling us to perpetually ask it. Not because we have to, but because we can. It keeps us occupied while we live our lives and although it may seem like a sincere attempt to make life meaningful, deep down we know these efforts are futile and it's ultimately nothing more than an evolution of the monkey peeing in its own mouth (some of us still prefer that to philosophy). If you disagree, at least consider that philosophy professors wouldn't exist in a world where nobody questioned why, so i'm actually doing you a huge favor just by answering.

 

[gromit]

Because it's an unanswerable question, therefore enabling us to perpetually ask it. Not because we have to, but because we can. It keeps us occupied while we live our lives and although it may seem like a sincere attempt to make life meaningful, deep down we know these efforts are futile and it's ultimately nothing more than an evolution of the monkey peeing in its own mouth (some of us still prefer that to philosophy). If you disagree, at least consider that philosophy professors wouldn't exist in a world where nobody questioned why, so i'm actually doing you a huge favor just by answering.

PARTY POOPER!!!

 

[Mole]

Trance Abuse

On their end of final year exam, Philosophy students at Cambridge were given the question: 'Why?'

How would you answer this?

You have already given us the answer to Why? and it is How?

Religion asks Why? and science asks How?.

Religion puts us into a trance with repetition, while science is always discovering something new.

And religion puts us into a trance so that we will be suggestible to their doctrines.

And I hope that in the future we will see putting someone into a trance without asking their permission and without first asking their permission to make a specific suggestion, will be seen as trance abuse.

Of course at the moment trance abuse is socially acceptable in religion, particularly the trance abuse of children.

 

[ryb]

Not why not, but why why?

 

[Take Five]

Of course at the moment trance abuse is socially acceptable in religion, particularly the trance abuse of children.

What is this?

 

[Arthur Schopenhauer]

Why? Well, my answer to that is: Why, why?

 

[Lark]

"What?"

 

[Cephalonimbus]

PARTY POOPER!!!

Just because my philosophy regarding "why" includes golden showers, does not mean you need to drag fecal matter into the discussion as well. To poop or not to poop is not the question.

 

[garbage]

"Because"

or a variant, "Because, dammit!"


'cause that's all the thought that that question really deserves

Then I'd get kicked out of the philosophy department because my answer wasn't deep enough

 

[MacGuffin]

On their end of final year exam, Philosophy students at Cambridge were given the question: 'Why?'

How would you answer this?

The curse of consciousness.

 

[Moiety]

I'd write...


...because you are a bunch of conceited fucks.

 

[Queen Kat]

On their end of final year exam, Philosophy students at Cambridge were given the question: 'Why?'

How would you answer this?

Shit happens, darling. People die all the time, so you don't need to act like a baby because of a some tragedy that has nothing to do with you. Now bring that teddy bear back to the store or burn it and grow up. The world already has enough theatrical whinos. Stop "Why"ing, no one is going to feel better because of it.