Human beings have questioned their existence for as long as they have been able to ponder and reason. In attempting to answer the questions of human existence, some have become religious, others atheist; some spiritual, others agnostic; some scientific, others philosophical. Regardless of how the questions have been answered, we have only been left with more questions or the concession that many things about our existence are just unknowable or beyond our ability to understand. Because of the difficulty in continually pondering the conclusions of what seem to be unanswerable questions, we have turned our attention to fantasy and science fiction-genres of thought that allow us to escape the reality of own ignorance. Finally-a book has been written that solves this human dilemma! It is the most powerful book ever composed on the subject matter. It transcends fantasy and science fiction in its simple presentation of reality and leaves the reader with the most profound perspective of human existence available. It has the potential of changing one's life, even the whole world, forever. This book answers all of life's questions, leaving none on which to speculate or remained confused. It provides the most complete and comprehensive answers to human reality ever given. Every piece of the puzzle needed to understand who we are and why we exist is included. And the most compelling element is that it speaks to our common sense-the very essence of our humanity! If read with an open mind, this book will unfold a whole new perspective of the world and its inhabitants and what their relationship is with the rest of the Universe. With this new and much needed perspective, we stand to gain a full understanding of ourselves. We will no longer remain shackled with the chains of ignorance, prejudice, and inequality that have kept humankind in bondage and misery for thousands of years. Armed with this knowledge, we will be able to reshape our individual realities and together transform our world, not just for ourselves, but for all life upon earth.

In this astonishing and profound work, an irreverent sleuth traces the riddleof existence from the ancient world to modern times.

National Book Award Finalist. How did humanity originate and why does a species like ours exist on this planet? Do we have a special place, even a destiny in the universe? Where are we going, and perhaps, the most difficult question of all, "Why?" In The Meaning of Human Existence, his most philosophical work to date, Pulitzer Prize–winning biologist Edward O. Wilson grapples with these and other existential questions, examining what makes human beings supremely different from all other species. Searching for meaning in what Nietzsche once called "the rainbow colors" around the outer edges of knowledge and imagination, Wilson takes his readers on a journey, in the process bridging science and philosophy to create a twenty-first-century treatise on human existence—from our earliest inception to a provocative look at what the future of mankind portends. Continuing his groundbreaking examination of our "Anthropocene Epoch," which he began with The Social Conquest of Earth, described by the New York Times as "a sweeping account of the human rise to domination of the biosphere," here Wilson posits that we, as a species, now know enough about the universe and ourselves that we can begin to approach questions about our place in the cosmos and the meaning of intelligent life in a systematic, indeed, in a testable way. Once criticized for a purely mechanistic view of human life and an overreliance on genetic predetermination, Wilson presents in The Meaning of Human Existence his most expansive and advanced theories on the sovereignty of human life, recognizing that, even though the human and the spider evolved similarly, the poet's sonnet is wholly different from the spider's web. Whether attempting to explicate "The Riddle of the Human Species," "Free Will," or "Religion"; warning of "The Collapse of Biodiversity"; or even creating a plausible "Portrait of E.T.," Wilson does indeed believe that humanity holds a special position in the known universe. The human epoch that began in biological evolution and passed into pre-, then recorded, history is now more than ever before in our hands. Yet alarmed that we are about to abandon natural selection by redesigning biology and human nature as we wish them, Wilson soberly concludes that advances in science and technology bring us our greatest moral dilemma since God stayed the hand of Abraham.

Why do we exist? For centuries, this question was the sole province of religion and philosophy. But now science is ready to take a seat at the table. According to the prevailing scientific paradigm, the universe tends toward randomness; it functions according to laws without purpose, and the emergence of life is an accident devoid of meaning. But this bleak interpretation of nature is currently being challenged by cutting-edge findings at the intersection of physics, biology, neuroscience, and information theory—generally referred to as “complexity science.” Thanks to a new understanding of evolution, as well as recent advances in our understanding of the phenomenon known as emergence, a new cosmic narrative is taking shape: Nature’s simplest “parts” come together to form ever-greater “wholes” in a process that has no end in sight. In The Romance of Reality, cognitive neuroscientist Bobby Azarian explains the science behind this new view of reality and explores what it means for all of us. In engaging, accessible prose, Azarian outlines the fundamental misunderstanding of thermodynamics at the heart of the old assumptions about the universe’s evolution, and shows us the evidence that suggests that the universe is a “self-organizing” system, one that is moving toward increasing complexity and awareness. Cosmologist and science communicator Carl Sagan once said of humanity that “we are a way for the cosmos to know itself.” The Romance of Reality shows that this poetic statement in fact rests on a scientific foundation and gives us a new way to know the cosmos, along with a riveting vision of life that imbues existence with meaning—nothing supernatural required.

A leading philosopher takes a mind-bending journey through virtual worlds, illuminating the nature of reality and our place within it. Virtual reality is genuine reality; that’s the central thesis of Reality+. In a highly original work of “technophilosophy,” David J. Chalmers gives a compelling analysis of our technological future. He argues that virtual worlds are not second-class worlds, and that we can live a meaningful life in virtual reality. We may even be in a virtual world already. Along the way, Chalmers conducts a grand tour of big ideas in philosophy and science. He uses virtual reality technology to offer a new perspective on long-established philosophical questions. How do we know that there’s an external world? Is there a god? What is the nature of reality? What’s the relation between mind and body? How can we lead a good life? All of these questions are illuminated or transformed by Chalmers’ mind-bending analysis. Studded with illustrations that bring philosophical issues to life, Reality+ is a major statement that will shape discussion of philosophy, science, and technology for years to come.

Max Tegmark leads us on an astonishing journey through past, present and future, and through the physics, astronomy and mathematics that are the foundation of his work, most particularly his hypothesis that our physical reality is a mathematical structure and his theory of the ultimate multiverse. In a dazzling combination of both popular and groundbreaking science, he not only helps us grasp his often mind-boggling theories, but he also shares with us some of the often surprising triumphs and disappointments that have shaped his life as a scientist. Fascinating from first to last—this is a book that has already prompted the attention and admiration of some of the most prominent scientists and mathematicians.

It is easy to distinguish what it is from what it is not, just by telling them apart. Since this is the simplistic, empirical approach while studying existence. Yet what exactly is existence itself? How or where does existence exist? Is existence limited to the human existence, human cognition, or the humankind? Yes, because all living beings are defined by existence, just because the term ‘being’ implies to be, to exist. However, the term ‘real’ implies the same. Because the concept ‘existence’ has a multitude of terms defining it, and now we have to consider them while studying existence in all details. And as you notice, we are not looking for a superficial, empirical study, because we already have one, since we already know that everything that exists exists and everything that does not exist does not exist. We want more, we want a comprehensive study of existence, from all perspectives: existential, rational, living, interconnected, social, objective, analytical, created, consensual, cognitive, natural, mathematical, consensual, developmental, scientific, fiat, empirical, subjective, philosophical, ideological, highjective, accurate, algorithmic, legal, and correspondent. Only that, from all these distinct perspectives of existence, we end up with a distinct type of existence, as we have to consider these. But what exactly is there escaping the senses of perception of all living beings in this world? The nonexistent, certainly. And what exactly exists and takes place beyond existence itself? Again, it is the nonexistent. Yet this is the case only for us and from our perspective, since existence is relative to any observer. You have one existence defining you, and it is your own existence. And in this manner, you may exist even on your own, and you still exist, for yourself. Yet for others, if they never encounter and never interact with you directly and implicitly, then you do not exist for them, you are simply part of the inexistent according to them, and so are they for you, from your own perspective. Because there might be zillions of worlds and realities similar to ours, but if they never interact with us, then they never exist for us, while we never exist for them. And this is the case for all realities, because nothing exists objectively at the exterior of any reality, not even the concept of ‘exterior’ itself. We already notice how existence is capable to define everything as existing or not, in this simple Boolean manner. And this is the case because existence stands towards the base of our world, defining everything within to exist, to be real, or simply to be, since it is the same concept. However, when you try to define existence itself, you cannot, since there is not much below it to form a meaningful base of knowledge defining it, but only the absent, the missing, the unreal, or the nonexistent, distinguishing existence trivially, by contrast. This is your only mean to define accurately existence now, as being different from the nonexistent, and this is why you end up with a Boolean depiction for existence. To be or not to be. But never to be and not to be. While existence defines everything else in a similar Boolean manner: you either exist or you do not. You either interconnect with others being part of their existence, or not. You are either alive, or not. You are either fulfilling throughout life, or not. Throughout this book, we study existence entirely, through accurate facts, from all perspectives and in all circumstances, in order to understand it accurately. Furthermore, we use existence to define, understand, and explain everything related to humans and human life. And since existence stands at the base of everything that exists, this accounts for everything.