Does life have meaning? For thousands of years, humans have searched for a meaning behind our existence. Now, one physicist has given his take on one of the most fundamental questions of all time.
Time travel is possible, says top scientist
Does life have meaning? For thousands of years, humans have searched for a meaning behind our existence. Now, one physicist has given his take on one of the most fundamental questions of all time.
It's the question we all ask occasionally - and, usually, set aside for later. What is the meaning of life? Fortunately, one of the world's top scientists has an answer.
Physicist Brian Greene's book Until the End of Time tackles "the most fundamental questions of existence"1. Here, to make things easier, are his arguments in six paragraphs:
The Universe will end. In the end, the universe will become ever bigger and colder, the sun will go out and everything will dissolve.
Everything is connected. We are not separate from the rest of the universe. We are literally made of stardustMatter from stars that exploded..
Humans are significant. Human lives are short. Yet in science and the arts, we have achieved extraordinary things that may not be matched in a billion years. These achievements give us meaning.
Science should respect religion. Science does not have all the answers. There are other ways of trying to understand life. Religion helps us to explore our place in the universe.
Schools test too much. Science is not about passing exams. There is no single way to solve a problem: what matters is being inventive.
Time travel is possible. If you travelled in a rocket at close to the speed of light for six months, and then returned to Earth, you would find that thousands of years had passed. We just need to make the right rocket.
So, what does this mean? Some say that because we are just tiny specks in a vast universe, our lives have no meaning. It is just luck that our planet happens to support life. If we did not exist, it would make no real difference.
Others argue that it is because we are tiny specks that we can be said to have a purpose. Logically, we should be insignificantUnimportant.. But it is ridiculous to suggest that our incredible achievements have no importance.
<h5 class=" eplus-wrapper" id="question">Does life have meaning?</h5>
Yes: An individual human life may be short, but in its thousands of years of existence the human race has achieved incredible and extraordinary things. Our lives have clear meaning.
No: Every civilisation eventually comes to an end. One day, all traces of human life will have disappeared, alongside our knowledge and accomplishments. It is naive to pretend otherwise.
Or... Meaning does not have to be on a grand scale. We may not be certain of our future in the universe, but every person can find meaning in their own life through their actions and relationships.
Stardust - Matter from stars that exploded.
Insignificant - Unimportant.
Time travel is possible, says top scientist

Glossary
Stardust - Matter from stars that exploded.
Insignificant - Unimportant.