What is the Perfect Question to Ask for a Life-Changing Answer?

[Howers]

Suppose you had a moment with fate and could have any question answered. No matter how complicated. What question would you ask?

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

Can I borrow 5 bucks?

 

[humanino]

Very personal answer : How to solve the mass-gap problem ?

Alternative possibilities (by decreasing order of preferences) of scientific questions :

• How to prove the Riemann hypothesis ?
• How to build a full quantum theory of gravity ?
• How to build a full quantum (twistor) non-commutative geometrical model of Nature ?
• How to build a full quantum string model of Nature ?
• How to build a full quantum loop gravity model of space-time ?

Many other scientific questions would be possible of course.

"Cheating" questions which would be nice to have answered could be

• How to solve all the Clay Mathematical Millenium problems ?
• What will be the content of all the Nobel prize lectures for the next 100 years ?
• How will the next not born yet richest person in world become the richest person in the world ?

 

[Howers]

Can I borrow 5 bucks?

What a waste, $5 for the whole universe. And you probably would get a no too lol

Very personal answer : How to solve the mass-gap problem ?

Alternative possibilities (by decreasing order of preferences) of scientific questions :

• How to prove the Riemann hypothesis ?
• How to build a full quantum theory of gravity ?
• How to build a full quantum (twistor) non-commutative geometrical model of Nature ?
• How to build a full quantum string model of Nature ?
• How to build a full quantum loop gravity model of space-time ?

Many other scientific questions would be possible of course.

"Cheating" questions which would be nice to have answered could be

• How to solve all the Clay Mathematical Millenium problems ?
• What will be the content of all the Nobel prize lectures for the next 100 years ?
• How will the next not born yet richest person in world become the richest person in the world ?

Gravity was certain to come up. You're last 3 non-cheat questions are unfortunately out of my scope =)

 

[sysreset]

In reverse order of importance:

3. How to perfect cold fusion.
2. Assuming cold fusion is impossible, how to perfect an alternative source of clean, affordable, abundant energy.
1. How to fix Windows.

 

[AstroRoyale]

In reverse order of importance:

3. How to perfect cold fusion.
2. Assuming cold fusion is impossible, how to perfect an alternative source of clean, affordable, abundant energy.
1. How to fix Windows.

#1 Easy - Step A, format disk. Step B - Install Linux

 

[wolram]

Suppose you had a moment with fate and could have any question answered. No matter how complicated. What question would you ask?

What the universe made of.

 

[Mech_Engineer]

Simple...


"What is the ultimate question?"

 

[Moonbear]

"What will be the winning numbers for this week's lottery?"

I considered some other questions, like "How can I make the biggest impact in life?" but I already know my fates well enough that they'd tell me to jump in front of a truck.

 

[rewebster]

"What will be the winning numbers for this week's lottery?"

I considered some other questions, like "How can I make the biggest impact in life?" but I already know my fates well enough that they'd tell me to jump in front of a truck.

do you mean the three number one that pays $50?

 

[Moonbear]

do you mean the three number one that pays $50?

Oh, DRAT! I see you've met my fate.

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

do you mean the three number one that pays $50?

The lottery I play is 10 cents a ticket, 2 for a quarter. First prize is a million dollars, one dollar a year for a million years.

 

[rewebster]

The lottery I play is 10 cents a ticket, 2 for a quarter. First prize is a million dollars, one dollar a year for a million years.

and, three for fifty cents?

 

[rewebster]

Oh, DRAT! I see you've met my fate.

well, double drat, I met her and realized too late she was YOUR'S already!

 

[Barfolumu]

What would we need to do in order to continue our species on into infinity?

 

[Evo]

I want to know how the universe came into being and what was there before it. That has bugged me since I was a small child.

 

[humanino]

I want to know how the universe came into being and what was there before it. That has bugged me since I was a small child.

I'm sure you know the answer by now. God was preparing Hell for people which would ask themselves this question

 

[rewebster]

I'm sure you know the answer by now. God was preparing Hell for people which would ask themselves this question

and for those people who told those other people the answer

 

[Garth]

I'm sure you know the answer by now. God was preparing Hell for people which would ask themselves this question

Actually it was this related question!

"What was God doing before he made heaven and earth?

In fact St. Augustine of Hippo in AD 426 goes on to say;

"My answer is not, "He was preparing Hell for people who pry into mysteries.” but "There was no time before heaven and Earth were created,so how can anyone ask what you were doing then? If there were no time, there was no 'then'.

Confessions 11:12

Garth

 

[humanino]

and for those people who told those other people the answer

I'll spent enternity discussing with Augustine of Hippo then

 

[moe darklight]

I would ask:

should I?

 

[humanino]

In fact St. Augustine of Hippo in AD 426 goes on to say

Agreed. But according to the above criterion, even though he did not claim it was his answer, he still "told [..] other people the answer"

 

[rewebster]

I'll spent enternity discussing with Augustine of Hippo then

hmmm...why not Garth?

 

[humanino]

Augustine of Hippo in AD 426 goes on to say

It is still interesing to note that, with the machinery of GR, Augustine's answer is still considered to be the only scientifically validated answer.

 

[humanino]

hmmm...why not Garth?

Or with Evo, Garth and Augustine

 

[rewebster]

Or with Evo, Garth and Augustine

well, two out of three RIGHT now isn't TOO bad

 

[Mech_Engineer]

How about:

"If I were to ask the best question for this particular situation, what would its answer be?"

Answer: "Yes."

 

[Moonbear]

well, double drat, I met her and realized too late she was YOUR'S already!

Have your fate secretary call my fate secretary. Maybe they can work something out.

 

[rewebster]

Have your fate secretary call my fate secretary. Maybe they can work something out.

yeah---I can almost hear that conversation between the two fate secs:

Hello?

Hi, I knew you were going to call

yes, I knew that you knew, and that's why I called


so, I'm thinking...

yes, I know what you're thinking, and...

etc.

 

[rewebster]

If you had one question

two---

The mechanisms for traveling to distant stars in days (many multiples of FTL),

and when will we make 'first contact' (publicly known, if it is a secret right now)

 

[Giles]

Please tell me everything about the universe?

By everything I mean EVERYTHING :)

 

[Giles]

And if a genie could grant me just one wish I'd wish for an infinite number of wishes.

That's very greedy, isn't it?

 

[Poop-Loops]

I'd ask what I should ask for. Knowing the perfect question would be awesome. It would give my life new meaning to find the answer to it, knowing that it was the correct question to try and answer.