r/LifeAndQuestions

Some people believe that religion was created to answer fundamental questions about the world, such as: Where does rain come from? Why do suffering and disasters exist? Why are we on Earth? How did we come on earth? I will answer the last question according to science:

According to evolutionary theory, humans and modern apes did not evolve directly from one another; instead, they share a common ancestor. The exact identity of this ancestor is not known, but scientists believe it was a population of ape-like primates that lived millions of years ago.

Charles Darwin observed similarities between humans and apes, particularly in appearance. These observations led scientists to further investigate the relationship between humans and other primates. However, one could ask whether this approach was biased. Did Darwin begin with the assumption that humans and apes must be related because similarities in fenotype? Then mainly search for evidence supporting the connection between humans and apes, based on appearance. While overlooking conflicting evidence. And what would it mean if humans did not evolve from ape-like ancestors?

Another theory that explains similarty between apes and humans is: coincidence. Overall, a main question were are missing is: how did non-life became life?

However, are there other theories besides ape evolution that attempt to explain where humans come from?

Please visity my subreddit r/LifeAndQuestions, where we talk about questions that changed your view or questions that made you doubt your reality

Free will is the idea that people can genuinely choose between different possible actions, instead of actions being influenced by biology or outside influences. For example: If you choose tea instead of coffee, free will means you could have chosen differently. But, every thought and action was already determined by your genes, brain state, and environment, then some philosophers argue free will is an illusion. Thus there is no scenario where you would have chosen tea above coffee at same circumstances.

Overall, it suggests that much of human behavior is programmed, and that we usually act according to this programming. From now on, I will call “free will” “progamming”

I will give an example where I believe we lose our progamming: Every year, Christmas is celebrated. Many people place a Christmas tree in their living room and decorate it. For some, this is tradition; for others, it is connected to religion. But why do we put a tree inside our homes? Why do we decorate it? Most people do not question the logic behind the action. The reason we dont question is that Christmas is strongly associated with joy and positive emotions. The experience feels good, thus we rarely reflect on our behavior or question the meaning behind it.
But imagine the opposite. If Christmas were associated with negativity, discomfort, or fear, people would begin to question the tradition. They would become more aware and reflect on their actions.
This is where I believe consciousness and free will emerge.

So what does this mean?
When you feel discomfort, it is consciousness whispering to you to reflect on your actions, thoughts, and emotions. Discomfort interrupts automatic behavior and forces awareness. Perhaps free will is not something constant, but something that emerges in moments of consciousness. It appears when awareness breaks through our programming, allowing us to question ourselves, reflect, and choose whether to continue our current behavior or change it.

Please also view my post “we are progammed to believe” on r/LifeAndQuestions