Which came first; the Question or the Answer?

  • Thread starter Thread starter timejim
  • Start date Start date
AI Thread Summary
The discussion centers on the philosophical idea that answers exist prior to questions, suggesting that all knowledge is inherently available and that questions arise only when humans recognize the existence of these answers. The argument posits that answers and questions are interconnected, with answers theoretically existing before questions are formulated. This perspective raises the inquiry of whether an answer holds validity in the absence of a corresponding question, emphasizing a cyclical relationship between knowledge and inquiry. The conversation reflects a blend of philosophical thought and a playful acknowledgment of the speaker's heightened state of mind.
timejim
Messages
42
Reaction score
0
I say the answer came first. All things out there that are to be known (and discovered) by man have always been there. The questions came about after mankind first discovered that there are answers out there!
 
Physics news on Phys.org
I'd say they came at the exactly same time. Theoretically, the answer is already there and every question already exists waiting to be asked - in my opinion.
 
In so much thus far, the answer has been raised before the question, while the question has been raised before the answer. Has the answer which has existed before the question valid if there was no question?

.... sorry I am on a chomsky caffeeine rush :biggrin:
 
"In 2013, after a series of hospitalizations due to magnets, New Zealand government officials permanently banned the sale of those made from neodymium-iron-boron (NIB)." https://www.sciencealert.com/new-zealand-teen-loses-part-of-his-bowel-after-swallowing-nearly-200-magnets "A 13-year-old boy in New Zealand has had part of his bowel surgically removed after he ingested nearly 200 high-powered magnets. (2025)" OK, this teen was a fool, but it is not always a teen, it is not always...
Thread 'RIP Chen Ning Yang (1922-2025)'
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yang_Chen-Ning ( photo from http://insti.physics.sunysb.edu/~yang/ ) https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/18/science/chen-ning-yang-dead.html https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cdxrzzk02plo https://www.cpr.cuhk.edu.hk/en/press/mourning-professor-yang-chen-ning/ https://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/physics/about/awards_and_prizes/_nobel_and_breakthrough_prizes/_profiles/yangc https://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/physics/people/_profiles/yangc...

Similar threads

Back
Top