Do We Exist? A Philosophical Standpoint on the Existence of Humans

What if humans don’t exist? After all, our very own existence is based upon the assumption that we exist, and is reinforced through electrical signals triggered by the senses. It is all based upon the preconceived notion that we can see, hear, smell, taste, and touch. And where does it all come from? It all comes down to the little electrical signals that your body sends out and receives. A life like the movie Matrix is not out of the question. In the movie, humans were kept in a null state in embryonic capsules, programmed by computers and given electrical shocks to strengthen the notion of their existence in their virtual world. Sound ludicrous? Not so much if you think about it. What if you knew you yourself existed, but then what about everything, and everyone else around you? Do they exist? For all you know, they could’ve been programmed to befriend you, to talk to you, to meet you.

Running parallel to the previous theory is the widely accepted scientific theory of the Big Bang. Scientists believe we are a something that came from nothing. The Big Bang theory states that an infinite amount of matter at a finite point, in the middle of nothing, exploded into infinite something. Now, in the human language, the connotations of the word nothing means zero, nada, emptiness. Want to hear the dictionary definition? Nothing means nonexistent, no thing, not anything, nothingness. This inability to classify nothing among the human mind stems from the greater issue that we really don’t know anything about our existence. So what was there before the big bang? There was nothing. It is difficult to comprehend this, because if there was nothing, it is not possible when put in terms with the human mind. Our limited vocabulary and our attempt to explain this conflict between existence and nonexistence is a both an unconscious and conscious battle occurring within the human mind. But nothing is something; the only restriction comes from the fact that the human mind is incapable of imagining nothing as something.

We barely understand the universe, though we act like we understand everything. Our insignificance as compared to the universe is beyond unimaginable. When we get to the edges of our very own existence, all universal laws that we have lived by for centuries, break down. What will we find at the end of the universe? What about the beginning? Heck, we don’t even know anything about our very own existence!

This also brings us to the issue of destiny. Do we make our own destiny in this world? Many believe that the moment we are born, we live a pre destined path. But if we live a pre destined life, what is the purpose to our existence? But then again, what is the purpose to our existence? What if there is no purpose to our life. Have you ever considered that you were here, just because you were here? Existentialism is by far the most fitting for this idea, as existentialists believe that they exist and there is no point to life. So if there is no purpose to life, then why do you live? Does that mean there is a purpose? But then if we have a purpose, how could there be something to nothing to our existence?

I hope this article prodded you to think a bit about human existence, because it really is something to just sit down among the hectic schedules of life and just contemplate human existence. Also, as a side note, I am not trying to prove or disprove anyone’s perspectives on life. I am merely offering my unique, speculative, and compelling philosophical viewpoints on life.