Philosophical questions : about human nature and the human condition

 It’s a great list of questions to get an intellectually stimulating discussion going and touches on a lot of different areas of philosophy. And while some of the questions might be intriguing to academically trained philosophers, this list of philosophical questions is aimed at a more general audience and is meant to be accessible to everyone. I’ve also put up a printable PDF and an image of all the questions at the bottom of the page.So, have a look, I’m sure you’ll find at least a few philosophical questions that will peak your interest. And remember, when having a discussion on philosophy, “why?” and “why do you think that?” are always great companion questions : 

•  What harsh truths do you prefer to ignore?
• Is free will real or just an illusion?
• Is there a meaning to life?
• If so, what is it?
• Is the meaning of life the same for animals and humans?
• Where is the line between art and not art?
• If someone you loved was killed in front of you, but someone created a copy of them that was perfect right down to the atomic level, would they be the same person and would you love them just as much?
• Does fate exist? If so, do we have free will?
• What does it mean to live a good life?
• Why do we dream?
• Is it possible to live a normal life and not ever tell a lie?
• Does a person’s name influence the person they become?
• What should be the goal of humanity?
• If you could become immortal on the condition you would NEVER be able to die or kill yourself, would you choose immortality?
• How will humans as a species go extinct?
• What actions in your life will have the longest reaching consequences? 
• How long will those effects be felt?
• How long will you be remembered after you die?
• If a child somehow survived and grew up in the wilderness without any human contact, how “human” would they be without the influence of society and culture?
• Where does your self-worth come from?
• How would humanity change if all humans’ life expectancy was significantly increased (let’s say to around 500 years)?Where do you find meaning in your life?
• What do you think would be humanity’s reaction to the discovery of extraterrestrial life?
• Will religion ever become obsolete?
• If you could teach everyone in the world one concept, what concept would have the biggest positive impact on humanity?
• Is suffering a necessary part of the human condition? 
• What would people who never suffered be like?
• Does hardship make a person stronger? 
• If so, under what conditions and at what point is it too much hardship?
• If not, what makes a person stronger?
•  What benefits does art provide society? Does art hurt society in any way? 
•  Would things get better or worse if humans focused on what was going well rather than what’s going wrong? 
•  How likely do you think it will be that humans will last another 1,000 years without killing ourselves off? 
•  What do you attribute the biggest successes in your life to? How about your largest failures? 
•  If freedom is simply being able to do what you want, are animals freer than humans? 
•  Would you want to know you are going to die before hand or die suddenly without warning?
• Is humanity headed in the right or wrong direction?Does the study of philosophy ever lead to answers or simply more questions?
• What is the best way for a person to attain happiness?
• If you had to guess, what do you think would be the most likely way you’ll die?Is it better for a person to have a broad knowledge base or a deep knowledge base?
• What is the best way to train people to see the gradients in the world around them instead of just a simplistic “this is good, that is wrong” view of the world?
• Is intelligence or wisdom more useful? 
•  Which of your beliefs are justified and which ones aren’t?
• What do you contribute back to society?
• What are you going to do with the one life you have?
• Is it more important to help yourself, help your family, help your society, or help the world?
• What life-altering things should every human ideally get to experience at least once in their lives?
• What is the most important goal every person should have?Is it better to be a big fish in a small pond or a small fish in a big pond?
• What are you capable of achieving?
• By what standards do you judge yourself?
• Can human nature be changed? 
• Should it be changed?How replaceable are you?
• Why don’t we as a species take more advantage of the fact that we have almost infinite knowledge available to us?
• What two questions would you ask to get the most information about who a person truly is?.