What is the hardest question?

[Coolydudey]

Would it be some intractable maths problem? An answerable riddle of the sort: "Is this question unanswerable?". Some issue of philosophical/personal importance which can only be answered subjectively (is there a god?). Some question it's hard to accept the answer to?

What is a "hardest" question? Surely something that is very difficult to answer? Then that takes us to the first two answers. The second beats the first; but clearly seems unsatisfactory. The first seems like a reasonable answer, one that would be hard to argue with. Yet it seems almost lacking too. Can you find a question which doesn't seem somehow lacking?

 

[John_Mann]

The material world makes the human mind or does the human mind makes the material world?

Or both at the same time?

 

[DelusiveNinja]

Wouldn't it be the question you just asked?

 

[BigApplePi]

Off the cuff.

Would it be some intractable maths problem?

I would think some problem about whether something always happens or not where the answer is not known and if the conjecture is false, finding one exception disproves the conjecture but finding that exception is too hard for the fastest supercomputer. An example is whether every even integer greater than two is the sum of two primes or not. Another is the Riemann Hypothesis.

An answerable riddle of the sort: "Is this question unanswerable?".

That Q is easier. A Q cannot be answered outside the system. A system of postulates does not answer if the postulates are true or not.

Some issue of philosophical/personal importance which can only be answered subjectively (is there a god?).

The Q is answered within the system. The system for an individual is subjective. It can be answered by some individuals. The Q, "Is there is God?", is usually addressed to everyone and is therefore objective. That is not answerable because we don't have access to the whole system ... short of revelation.

Some question it's hard to accept the answer to?

Any answer where we can't follow all the steps rationally. Any answer blocked by our own contradictory beliefs.

What is a "hardest" question? Surely something that is very difficult to answer?

Here's my candidate in two words:

Spoiler

Explain existence.

Then that takes us to the first two answers. The second beats the first; but clearly seems unsatisfactory. The first seems like a reasonable answer, one that would be hard to argue with. Yet it seems almost lacking too. Can you find a question which doesn't seem somehow lacking?

 

[Godofdogs]

Who r u?

 

[Ex-User (9086)]

What is the thing that you will never know?

What is the last prime number that will be calculated? Or another prime after that?

What was the world one second ago? How do I know that anything existed one second ago?

Could [no-thing/"nothing"] ever be the right answer and when?

 

[BigApplePi]

Who r u?

I agree. That is a hard question. R u asking me (BAP) in particular or anyone in general?

 

[Base groove]

Q: What is the hardest question?

A: What is the hardest question?

Wouldn't it be the question you just asked?

This is the second hardest question.

 

[Ex-User (9086)]

Q: What is the hardest question?

A: What is the hardest question?


This is the second hardest question.

What is the Q: What is the hardest question?th root of What is the hardest question? with the accuracy of What is the hardest question? floating point symbols on the set of What is the hardest question? and complex numbers of What is the hardest question? perpendicular to a plane of What is the hardest question? dimensions with What is the hardest question? right angles, other than reducing it to absurd and what is the hardest question? and describing it ad nauseam? And why? and not. and why ?! and not ? or . since . and ? and ?!

 

[Base groove]

What is the Q: What is the hardest question?th root of What is the hardest question? with the accuracy of What is the hardest question? floating point symbols on the set of What is the hardest question? and complex numbers of What is the hardest question? perpendicular to a plane of What is the hardest question? dimensions with What is the hardest question? right angles, other than reducing it to absurd and what is the hardest question? and describing it ad nauseam? And why? and not. and why ?! and not ? or . since . and ? and ?!

Those are all very hard questions, thus leading to the paradox that they are more difficult to answer than the hardest question itself,

however we reconcile this paradox by reasoning that it (the hardest question) must be a very hard question indeed if there are so many questions that are proven to be so hard.

So it is a very hard question to answer: what is the hardest question?, perhaps .. it is in fact, the hardest question of all...

 

[Vrecknidj]

I'm not sure I understand what the word "hard" means in this context. Is it that "hard" questions take a long time to answer? Are they challenging to understand? Do they require specialized knowledge to comprehend?

 

[BigApplePi]

I'm not sure I understand what the word "hard" means in this context. Is it that "hard" questions take a long time to answer? Are they challenging to understand? Do they require specialized knowledge to comprehend?

Yes. Define "hard." Just because a question can't be answered, does that make it hard? Why wouldn't it be tied with all the other Qs that can't be answered?

BTW a question that is not defined is not a Q at all.

 

[DelusiveNinja]

A question that can not be answered does not exist because I can answer all of your questions with incorrect or non-related answers. However, a question that can not be answered accurately probably does exist. Therefore, a "hard" question probably refers to a question that is difficult to answer accurately or can not be answered accurately at all.

You judge the hardest question based off of a criteria such as the question that takes the most time to answer accurately, the question that takes the most time to comprehend, and the question that requires the most specialized knowledge to comprehend or answer accurately.

Does that make sense?

 

[BigApplePi]

You judge the hardest question based off of a criteria such as the question that takes the most time to answer accurately, the question that takes the most time to comprehend, and the question that requires the most specialized knowledge to comprehend or answer accurately.

Does that make sense?

Sounds good. I would lean on the first criteria if only because time worked on such a question shows the other things have been worked on also. But "hardest" implies a linear scale. That is Q1 is harder than Q2. A linear scale has one variable. Therefore how are we to compare the mathematical difficulty of proving the Riemann Hypothesis one way or the other versus finding a cure for 99 percent of cancers?

 

[NormannTheDoorman]

Asking someone if they're actually real.

 

[Godofdogs]

What is the thing that you will never know?

What is the last prime number that will be calculated? Or another prime after that?

What was the world one second ago? How do I know that anything existed one second ago?

Could [no-thing/"nothing"] ever be the right answer and when?

Such easy questions.

The thing if there that you cannot know then you cannot know what the thing is,
as you cannot know by the condition of that thing to be. So that question cannot be answered not because the question is hard but absurd.

Numbers go on and on, it has no end, and you are trying to limit it. There is no last prime no.

Yes of course no-thing nothing or whatever can be the right answer.

For example:

Q: What is the term used to signify absence of things?
A: Nothing.

 

[Godofdogs]

The material world makes the human mind or does the human mind makes the material world?

Or both at the same time?

All you have is a set of experiences. You can never know only assume.
As you are bound by experiences. To know what you want to know,
you have to go beyond experience go beyond your mind, but then there will be no one to know.

 

[Godofdogs]

Asking someone if they're actually real.

Ask yourself, are you real or a story?

 

[Godofdogs]

Q: What is the hardest question?

A: What is the hardest question?






This is the second hardest question.

Something that cannot have an answer cannot be questioned sensibly.
The big questions are unanswered as the questions itself are nonsense.
Man should have question the question before searching for answers.
Assuming all sensible questions are answerable,

What is hard for one can be soft\easy for other, so the hardest-ness is a subjective factor, and the question cannot therefore have one answer.

 

[Godofdogs]

I agree. That is a hard question. R u asking me (BAP) in particular or anyone in general?

That is not a hard question, very easy actually, but the most important one.
It is the only one that is truly needed to be known to transcend to realms beyond.
I am asking you specifically and others too.
Who are you?
Who is BAP?
What does BAP point to?

 

[BigApplePi]

Who are you?

Whoever I am.

Who is BAP?

Me too.

What does BAP point to?

Where I am going.

 

[Godofdogs]

Whoever I am.


Me too.


Where I am going.

From where the 'I am' arise?
What do you mean by 'Me too'?
Who else?
Where are you going?
Who is going?

 

[Ex-User (9086)]

Such easy questions.

The thing if there that you cannot know then you cannot know what the thing is,
as you cannot know by the condition of that thing to be. So that question cannot be answered not because the question is hard but absurd.

Numbers go on and on, it has no end, and you are trying to limit it. There is no last prime no.

Yes of course no-thing nothing or whatever can be the right answer.

For example:

Q: What is the term used to signify absence of things?
A: Nothing.

There is no absurd, only a limited understanding.

Absurd is impossible, there are answers, or there are no answers.

Nothing is never the right answer, maybe too hard to explain but looking at the future and past there is no truth to it.

There is no answer in what you propose, only caging in and further distraction from the problem.

Stop using the language and the ascribed possible meanings, destroy the detachement of the abstract language that we use. It is a trap.

It would be better to describe these hardest questions in a propositional calculus, but low valued logic is another trap.

 

[BigApplePi]

The hardest question is, what ever happened to Base groove's Greek sissors?

 

[Cognisant]

The material world makes the human mind or does the human mind makes the material world?

Or both at the same time?

That's easy you're an idiot.

And if the human mind does make the material world then the screen in front of you with the letters "you're an idiot" on it was made by you so on some level it's clearly you who is calling yourself an idiot whereas if you write the same back to me I can assume those are just words on a screen written by someone who I think is an idiot and thus they aren't of much importance.

 

[Godofdogs]

There is no absurd, only a limited understanding.

Absurd is impossible, there are answers, or there are no answers.

Nothing is never the right answer, maybe too hard to explain but looking at the future and past there is no truth to it.

There is no answer in what you propose, only caging in and further distraction from the problem.

Stop using the language and the ascribed possible meanings, destroy the detachement of the abstract language that we use. It is a trap.

It would be better to describe these hardest questions in a propositional calculus, but low valued logic is another trap.

What is the thing that you will never know?

If you can never know about the 'thing' and you can know nothing about the thing
then you can also never know what the thing is thus the first question is unanswerable.

Series of prime numbers is infinite. There is no last number. No convergence.

Q)what did the dead dog say to me yesterday?
A)Nothing.

Q)What punched you in the face?
A)Nothing. My face naturally looks like that.

Q)Can you answer with the word 'nothing'? If yes, will you prove it to me by answering with the word 'nothing'?
A)Nothing.

Q)What did the fox say?
A)Nothing

Q)Who is there in my room besides me and is visible to me?
A)Nothing.

Language is a trap. Logic is a trap. Be silent. Be very silent.

aur abuze lungage liek mi.

 

[Coolydudey]

What is the thing that you will never know?

If you can never know about the 'thing' and you can know nothing about the thing
then you can also never know what the thing is thus the first question is unanswerable.

Series of prime numbers is infinite. There is no last number. No convergence.

Q)what did the dead dog say to me yesterday?
A)Nothing.

Q)What punched you in the face?
A)Nothing. My face naturally looks like that.

Q)Can you answer with the word 'nothing'? If yes, will you prove it to me by answering with the word 'nothing'?
A)Nothing.

Q)What did the fox say?
A)Nothing

Q)Who is there in my room besides me and is visible to me?
A)Nothing.

Language is a trap. Logic is a trap. Be silent. Be very silent.

aur abuze lungage liek mi.

*sigh*... Or don't, because it's a shit idea. In the rare cases where language fails to provide adequate communication, there is interesting stuff to talk about. But when not, you just use it clearly. New thread idea perhaps?

 

[Ex-User (9086)]

*sigh*... Or don't, because it's a shit idea. In the rare cases where language fails to provide adequate communication, there is interesting stuff to talk about. But when not, you just use it clearly. New thread idea perhaps?

Let's cooperate instead of infighting.
Let us define the bounds of difficulty of the possible answers to questions.

Let me first state that unanswerable questions, questions that have no possible answers, are not questions but either truths or negations or incorrectly stated problems.

Also, for the sake of simplicity, if we are unsure whether there is an answer to the question, we cannot assume that it is unanswerable or it is answerable, so I would give it a logical value unknown, so that when we compare it with another question that is known to be answerable and on the same level, it can then be recognised as harder.

On the same level, meaning, meeting the same conditions/rules.

After we define the hardest potentially answerable question, I think there will be something interesting about it or about the conditions.

 

[Coolydudey]

Let's cooperate instead of infighting.
Let us define the bounds of difficulty of the possible answers to questions.

Let me first state that unanswerable questions, questions that have no possible answers, are not questions but either truths or negations or incorrectly stated problems.

Also, for the sake of simplicity, if we are unsure whether there is an answer to the question, we cannot assume that it is unanswerable or it is answerable, so I would give it a logical value unknown, so that when we compare it with another question that is known to be answerable and on the same level, it can then be recognised as harder.

On the same level, meaning, meeting the same conditions/rules.

After we define the hardest potentially answerable question, I think there will be something interesting about it or about the conditions.

I would be inclined to disagree. Do we live in a matrix?
Then again, an unanswerable question isn't hard in some sense, so your approach is probably the more reasonable one.

 

[Ex-User (9086)]

I would be inclined to disagree. Do we live in a matrix?
Then again, an unanswerable question isn't hard in some sense, so your approach is probably the more reasonable one.

I take a reductive approach here.

A matrix in a sense that we are limited to our senses and our understanding, rather than what is, so there can be many unanswerable sets and it would be reasonable to define the questions that ponder and rely on incomplete, as of yet information, things currently beyond our scope etc.

Also as I have said, how would you measure or evaluate the difficulty of a question that is unanswerable? There can be only one response, that this question is currently unanswerable, but might be answerable in the future, also there could be a question that is outright unanswerable and will remain unanswerable and this I would call an incorrectly stated problem, negation or truth.

So if we want to ask an answerable question, we need to look at the areas of knowledge or information that it taps into and then from these decide the possible status of this question, if the question is then answerable, we can define and establish a common difficulty rating and conditions.
edit:
clarification:

Also, for the sake of simplicity, if we are unsure whether there is an answer to the question, we cannot assume that it is unanswerable or it is answerable, so I would give it a logical value unknown, so that when we compare it with another question that is known to be answerable and on the same level, it can then be recognised as harder.

I propose that the answerable question is harder than the unknown/undefined one.

 

[BrainVessel]

Perhaps what you have asked is the hardest question.
On the contrary, I believe the hardest question would be perception/reality related because humans are so naturally subjective with their own personal experiences and how they internalize them, no one will ever see exactly eye to eye in this area even though there can only be one answer.

 

[ZenRaiden]

Why me????

 

[BigApplePi]

Is there anything harder than Lonsdaleite?

 

[Godofdogs]

Why me????

Why not you?

 

[Godofdogs]

*sigh*... Or don't, because it's a shit idea. In the rare cases where language fails to provide adequate communication, there is interesting stuff to talk about. But when not, you just use it clearly. New thread idea perhaps?

No new thread needed, just Wittgenstein.

 

[ZenRaiden]

Why not you?

Why not someone else?

 

[Coolydudey]

No new thread needed, just Wittgenstein.

"Oh look, somebody else has thought about it before, ok, let's just switch our brains off and not ever discuss it again."

 

[Coolydudey]

I take a reductive approach here.

A matrix in a sense that we are limited to our senses and our understanding, rather than what is, so there can be many unanswerable sets and it would be reasonable to define the questions that ponder and rely on incomplete, as of yet information, things currently beyond our scope etc.

Also as I have said, how would you measure or evaluate the difficulty of a question that is unanswerable? There can be only one response, that this question is currently unanswerable, but might be answerable in the future, also there could be a question that is outright unanswerable and will remain unanswerable and this I would call an incorrectly stated problem, negation or truth.

So if we want to ask an answerable question, we need to look at the areas of knowledge or information that it taps into and then from these decide the possible status of this question, if the question is then answerable, we can define and establish a common difficulty rating and conditions.
edit:
clarification:

I propose that the answerable question is harder than the unknown/undefined one.

I think it's got to be "what is the hardest question?". It is clearly answerable, yet we cannot find this answer until we have answered all other answerable questions and acquired some sort of omniscience...

 

[Rook]

"Why does the universe/multiverse exist?"

We may find out how, but I think we will never know why.

 

[Coolydudey]

I think it's got to be "what is the hardest question?". It is clearly answerable, yet we cannot find this answer until we have answered all other answerable questions and acquired some sort of omniscience...

Actually, we clearly have a fault in our logic in answering what the hardest question is (as we've answered it, whereas there are other questions we can't answer). What we have answered though is: "what is the hardest question other than this one?". Funny how chopping the end off and saying "what is the hardest question?" makes it unanswerable though...

edit: the above assuming we're excluding unanswerable questions though, for good I think reasons

 

[Polaris]

Depends on who's answering.

 

[Hawkeye]

As Polaris hinted, context will play a huge role regarding difficulty in answering.

For example: What did I have for breakfast this morning?

As the distance away from me increases, the certainty of knowing/finding the answer becomes increasingly more difficult to the point of unknowable.

 

[Godofdogs]

"Oh look, somebody else has thought about it before, ok, let's just switch our brains off and not ever discuss it again."

All good things are thought out before, our existence is vain.

 

[Ex-User (9086)]

Actually, we clearly have a fault in our logic in answering what the hardest question is (as we've answered it, whereas there are other questions we can't answer). What we have answered though is: "what is the hardest question other than this one?". Funny how chopping the end off and saying "what is the hardest question?" makes it unanswerable though...

edit: the above assuming we're excluding unanswerable questions though, for good I think reasons

In a sense "What is the hardest question?" leads us to the definition of the possibly hardest question, which would be, one that requires you to answer the maximal amount of preceding questions that can be answered within the physical boundaries of spacetime and then compile and use the information to find the answer to the last most complex problem that will ever be answered. It may be possible to answer this question several times, starting from the level 0 or another common level.

I could even see an inter-gallactic war for the sake of answering this question, after which there would be no civilisation powerful enough to even restore the knowledge to the sufficient level, with the entropy and heat death as an upper bound for the possible maximal time window.

Assuming previous answers would not debunk the idea of the current foreseeable physical limits, or would help develop a countermeasure.

This is only one of possible definitions, because another reasonable definition might be restricted by the human lifespan and the most difficult problem solved within it. As opposed to a generational and common effort.

As Polaris hinted, context will play a huge role regarding difficulty in answering.

For example: What did I have for breakfast this morning?

As the distance away from me increases, the certainty of knowing/finding the answer becomes increasingly more difficult to the point of unknowable.

Why would you be forced to answer on the spot? It is quite easy to find out what you had on breakfast simply reading about your living place and regional habits, or even finding you physically.

Obviously not knowing or not having the access to information is only one of many elements that contribute to the difficulty.

 

[Godofdogs]

Why not someone else?

Why someone else?

 

[Godofdogs]

"Why does the universe/multiverse exist?"

We may find out how, but I think we will never know why.

The question is based on blind faith that universe\multiverse\totality even have a reason or purpose or an explanation as to why it exists.
If still you keep on asking why?
I ask Why not?

 

[Rook]

The question is based on blind faith that universe\multiverse\totality even have a reason or purpose or an explanation as to why it exists.
If still you keep on asking why?
I ask Why not?

Yet we are not aware of a purpose or a lack of purpose. When asking "Why", one does not presume that there is a purpose, one asks why things are as they are.
The answer "There is no reason for existence" still answers the question.

Either way, the truth will never be found(In my opinion, at least.).

 

[Coolydudey]

All good things are thought out before, our existence is vain.

*sigh*
take a moment to reflect, and realize how wrong you are. Take a moment to reflect, and think about a world in which everybody, including Wittgenstein, started saying that 150 years ago...
And that is an entirely different topic to our existence being vain/meaningless.

 

[DelusiveNinja]

An understood question is to yin as a correct answer is to yang. One defines the other. You can not define a correct answer without defining or having defined an understood question.

The hardest question is defined by its most accurate answer and how much time it takes to derive that answer.

we cannot find this answer until we have answered all other answerable questions and acquired some sort of omniscience...

Yup. To add to what you have said, another condition is that humans (and whatever other species) would have to seize the production of intelligible questions.

On a side note:

Spoiler

No question no matter how complicated or convoluted is impossible to answer. However, there are questions that cannot be answered accurately due to a lack of human comprehension or factual information.

Example:

It is possible to answer this comprehensible question inaccurately, incorrectly, or accurately (and not at all).

Q: Will it rain on this day next year?
A: No. (Not yet proven, possibly incorrect and inaccurate)
B: We do not have enough information to determine that at this time. (Most accurate and reasonable response)
C: Chimpanzee. (The question still has been answered but with an inapplicable response. Therefore, this response is incorrect.)

Resource for idea: http://www.roangelo.net/logwitt/logwit12.html

 

[Godofdogs]

Yet we are not aware of a purpose or a lack of purpose. When asking "Why", one does not presume that there is a purpose, one asks why things are as they are.
The answer "There is no reason for existence" still answers the question.

Either way, the truth will never be found(In my opinion, at least.).

One can just go on asking why to every answer.
Why it is this way?
because this and that.
Why is this and that creates this way?
Because 78 and 98.
Why 78 and 98?
becaues eanklfsdklgfsdkl

We can go on questioning indefinitely especially in matters of universe and all,
ultimately all explanations will run out and one have to accept: It is just 'is'.