• Question: This might sound weird, but why do we or does anything exist? Why should we exist, why is it such a coincidence that life brought itself to a planet that could hold so much life, that the moon just happens to be the right distance away to have solar eclipses? Why should anything here exist? Why were humans the ones to take over the planet and become really clever, and not something like a duck billed platypus? Why us, if that makes sense?

    Asked by anon-106860 to Adrian, Gaia, Jim, Scott, Vicky on 14 Mar 2016.
    • Photo: Gaia Andreoletti

      Gaia Andreoletti answered on 14 Mar 2016:


      Wow! SO any why!!! Have you ever thought to study philosophy? 🙂

    • Photo: Scott Lawrie

      Scott Lawrie answered on 14 Mar 2016:


      Crikey what a deep question – well done! There are a lot of coincidences like the moon/eclipse thing you mentioned. For example there’s a thing called the ‘deuterium binding energy’ which is important in the Big Bang and inside stars. If that energy wasn’t the exact number it is, then no elements in the periodic table would exist other than hydrogen. That would mean no planets or life! Is that a coincidence, or was the universe specially designed that way so someone could actually be around to see it?

      In terms ‘why us?’ as the dominant species on the planet, it may interest you to hear that the humble sea turtle once had that status – it dominated the seas in huge numbers and ruled over everything! But then big fish like mesosaurs came along and ate the turtles 🙁 Maybe if the dinosaurs hadn’t have been wiped out 65million years ago, they would have evolved big brains and it wouldn’t be warm-blooded monkey-people like you and I chatting on the internet, but some kind of clever Iguanodon!

    • Photo: Adrian Buzatu

      Adrian Buzatu answered on 14 Mar 2016:


      These are deep philosophical questions. The answer is that there are many planets out there. Some have conditions for life to emerge, others do not. We happen to be on one that has conditions, of course. If we were on one planet with no conditions for life to appear, we would not be here.

      Imagine throwing plant seed on a motorway. No plant will grow. Then throw some seed in the field. Some plant will grow. Imagine now the plant asking itself why do I exist. It exists because it happened to be the seed that fell in the field, and not on the high way.

      It is the same with our solar system. It has the right combination for life to exist. But there are so many solar systems out there. So it’s not surprins that at least one is suitable for life.

      Same with evolution of life. If another animal would have evolved, you would be that animal and ask yourself how come you are that animal and not humans. No wonder here. You are already that animal and you ask yourself why you are that animal. Because if you had not been, you could not have been smart and ask the question. So again no mystery here.

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