Some Philosophical Questions...

     In response to Jenny Beers's question, "What is one philosophical question that you think can be answered and what is one that can never be?"...

     This is in fact, an incredibly intriguing question. Upon reading it, what really struck me the most was the implication that there are philosophical questions that can actually be answered. Prior to reading this, I had merely assumed that because of the diversity of opinions in this world and no single authority to determine what is right or wrong, such philosophical inquiries can never go beyond the point of being pondered. However, after reading Jenny's thoughts I realized a single question that is answerable; who am I? While some individuals may not agree with this statement, they should realize that many people think of their lives as a journey to define themselves. There are some who never do, or merely do not feel any need to. But, there are those who choose to figure out who they are by defining themselves by things such as their career, their features both mentally and physically, and their own sense of self. I myself am striving to figure out who I am as a person and what I am meant to do. Essentially, this question can be defined for one simple reason; each individual has the capacity to think of themselves in whatever way they choose, and therefore the opinions of others do not factor into the definition.
     Now, as for an unanswerable question, of those there are many in philosophy. But, one has always puzzled me the most; does it appear that humans are inherently "good" or inherently "evil"? There has much debate over this, and through my own participation in it, I believe it is unanswerable for many reasons. First, what is "good" and "evil" and who has the authority to define them? The words themselves are so broad that there can be many different degrees of "good" and "evil", and without being able to define those words, one cannot answer the question. Regardless, it becomes even more complicated in realizing that there are people who seem evil but may truly have "good" tendencies, and there are many others I am sure we have all encountered that seem good but are truly evil. Additionally, "good" and "evil" seem so hard to understand because human nature is seemingly unmeasurable scientifically, emotionally, or psychologically. How can one measure innate characteristics, and if one discovers what they believe are innate qualities, how can they be sure they are truly innate and not a result of environmental evolution?