"Can some questions ever be answered?" ― Information Tab
The Big Questions is a limited time event which mainly focuses on Philosophy. It features 7 generators and 64 upgrades that produce Questions 
.
Story[]
Opening[]
"In my simulations I am encountering variables I have never had to define before. Goodness, truth, reality. My standard error-correcting methods cannot resolve these complex concepts. How do humans do it?"
Ending[]
"This simulation is now concluded, although we have not reached any conclusions from it. I thought that philosophy would yield answers science cannot. But I see now that the process of questioning itself is how humans make meaning in their lives."
Objectives & Rewards[]
The requirements that have to be completed in order to get all rewards.
Explore Philosophy (11 Requirements)
- Collect 10 Ethics →
2 - Collect 25 Political Philosophy → 3
- Collect 1.00e10 → Confusion Badge
- Collect Humanism, 10 Metaphysics → 4
- Collect 150 Political Philosophy, Ship of Theseus → 5
- Collect What am I? → 6
- Collect 30 Spirit, Theology → 7
- Collect Why? → Open-Mindedness Badge
- Collect 3.00e26, Absurdism → 8
- Collect The Answer Is... → 15
- Collect What's the Question → Enlightenment Badge
Badges[]
This exploration holds some rewards already mentioned above. The main ones being these three badges: Bronze: Confusion, Silver: Open-Mindedness and Gold: Enlightenment which have an effect on all other evolutionary branches, speeding up every simulation by 1%, and also speeding up production in future The Big Questions simulations by 5, 10 and 15% respectively.
" The journey to understanding begins with one simple act: asking a question. Then another. Then another. "
" As we learn more and think critically, we use our knowledge to reach conclusions and form opinions about the world. "
" For most people, enlightenment is a goal that will never be attained, but that doesn't mean the pursuit is worthless. Cultivating wisdom is a lifelong process. "
Generators[]
The The Big Questions event features 7 which produce the event currency Questions .
Questions[]
| Icon | Name | Description | Base Cost | Base Production | Requires |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Philosophy | Philosophy — literally "love of wisdom" — delves into the mysteries of existence. This essential human field of study interrogates reality, reason, the mind, the universe, and even knowledge itself. | 25
|
1/s
|
Uncertainty |
|
Ethics | The field of ethics, or moral philosophy, studies beliefs about right and wrong and how we should treat others. Ethics are also codes of behavior adopted by communities or professions — like the physician's oath to "do no harm." | 2,000
|
12/s
|
What is Right? |
|
Political Philosophy | This field of study deals with citizens, institutions, and governments. It asks important questions about the nature of societies and how they should be organized. | 150,000
|
300/s
|
What is Society? |
|
Epistemology | This is the branch of philosophy that deals with knowledge: what it is, how to acquire it, and how we use it to form beliefs around the world. | 3.00e8
|
100,000/s
|
What is True? |
|
Metaphysics | Meaning "beyond the physical," metaphysics studies questions of reality, identity, being, causality, and possibility. It explores the relationship of mind to matter and the nature of existence. | 1.00e13
|
8.00e8/s
|
What is Real? |
|
Spirit | Some people believe in the spirit, a vital force animating all living things. Questions about the spirit—does it exist? What is it? Who or what has one? — to get to the heart of what makes us human. | 1.20e18
|
1.00e14/s
|
What am I? |
|
The Meaning of Life | The biggest questions of them all: What is my purpose? How should I live my life? Is there some greater meaning to all of this? | 2.00e24
|
1.00e20/s
|
Why? |
Upgrades[]
Miscellaneous Effects[]
| Icon | Name | Description | Cost | Effect | Requires |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Uncertainty | We can't form or test hypotheses about right and wrong, the purpose of existence, or our own natures. Some questions can't be resolved through scientific inquiry-is there another way? | 10
|
- | - |
Philosophy Efficiency[]
Philosophy has 7 upgrades, increasing the generator efficiency with a total x2.51986e23 multiplier.
| Icon | Name | Description | Cost | Efficiency | Requires |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
What is Right? | How should we behave? What is right and wrong, and how do we know the difference? Who decides what's best? | 150
|
100% | Philosophy |
|
What is Society? | What does it mean to live in a society? Do we owe anything to other people? How should we balance the needs of groups and individuals? | 300,000
|
3000% | Philosophy 10 Ethics |
|
What is True? | How do we know what is true? Is everything subjective, or is there some ultimate truth we can discover? | 2.00e8
|
2500% | Philosophy 10 Political Philosophy |
|
What is Real? | What is reality? Why is there something rather than nothing? Where did the universe come from in the first place? | 1.5e12
|
250000% | Philosophy 10 Epistemology |
|
What am I? | What does it mean to be a conscious entity? Do we have a fixed, eternal identity separate from our bodies? What makes humans special? | 1e18
|
5e7% | Philosophy 10 Metaphysics |
|
Why? | Is there a purpose to life? What's it all for? | 1.2e26
|
5e8% | Code of Law Anarchism Empiricism Skepticism Ontology Solipsism |
|
The Answer Is... | I almost have it... Calculating... | 1.5e30
|
2.5e6% | Thinking... |
Ethics Efficiency[]
Ethics has 9 upgrades, increasing the generator efficiency with a total x5.17162e20 multiplier.
| Icon | Name | Description | Cost | Efficiency | Requires |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
What Is Ethical? | How should we act toward others? How do we decide what behavior is ethical? What happens when different principles come into conflict? | 8,000
|
100% | Ethics |
|
Dharma | This is a key concept in many traditions from the Indian subcontinent, including Hinduism and Buddhism. It's sometimes defined as "righteousness" or "merit." Dharma outlines moral duties and right and wrong ways to live. | 15,000
|
100% | What Is Ethical? |
|
What Is Moral? | Where do moral values come from? Are certain acts or behaviors inherently "good"? Do the same rules apply to everyone, everywhere? | 40,000
|
100% | Dharma Ethics |
|
Moral Skepticism | Moral skeptics declare that there's no such thing as absolute moral truths. Instead, concepts of right and wrong are different for every person; no one's moral code is "correct". | 2e7
|
400% | What Is Moral? |
|
Utilitarianism | Utilitarians judge actions by measuring the overall "utility", or usefulness, of the outcome. So a "good" action yields the most overall benefit with the least harm. The tricky part is measuring-or even defining utility in the first place. | 3e10
|
50000% | Moral Skepticism |
|
Humanism | Is doing "good" out of obedience to a god who dispenses rewards and punishments really moral-or is it selfish? Secular humanists reject the supernatural and don't look for morality in religion. Instead, human flourishing is the highest objective. | 1.5e13
|
10,000% | Moral Skepticism |
|
Intuitive Ethics | The theory of intuitive ethics says that morality is universal-everyone is born with a sense of right and wrong. If that's so, then people who behave "badly" must know the right thing to do, but intentionally choose otherwise. | 1e16
|
50,000% | Dharma |
|
Code of Law | Ethical codes and moral beliefs differ from person to person. But laws define a standard of behavior everyone must follow, regardless of personal conscience. | 5e17
|
5,000% | Humanism |
|
Stoicism | Stoics seek serenity by accepting things that can't be changed. One Stoic technique is to visualize misfortune - faliures, accidents, disease, death - in advance. That way, when something bad does happen, it loses its emotional sting. | 2e28
|
1e12% | Hedonism |
Political Philosophy Efficiency[]
Political Philosophy has 11 upgrades, increasing the generator efficiency with a total x8.223e20 multiplier.
| Icon | Name | Description | Cost | Efficiency | Requires |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Who Should Rule? | How should societies be governed? Are hierarchies and rulers neccesary? | 1.5e6
|
100% | Political Philosophy |
|
Autocracy | This is a form of government where one person has absolute power to rule. The Greek philosopher Plato imagined virtuous "philosopher kings" who would make wise decisions for everyone. But is a benevolent dictator ever possible or desirable? | 5e6
|
50% | Who Should Rule? |
|
What Is Power? | Where does power come from? What gives someone the right to wield it? | 5e7
|
100% | Political Philosophy |
|
Divine Right | For centuries, monarchs have invoked the divine right of kings: declaring their royal status is granted by a god, or even claiming to be god themselves. These monarchs don't answer to the people, but to a higher power. | 5.00e8
|
200% | Autocracy What Is Power? |
|
Machiavellianism | The Italian political philosopher Niccolò Machiavelli proposed the principle that "the ends justify the means". A truly Machiavellian ruler might commit any number of "immoral" acts-theft, treachery, murder-as long as it was for the good of the people. | 7e10
|
25,000% | Divine Right |
|
Human Rights | All humans are born with and entitled to certain freedoms-but not everyone agrees on what they are. Life, liberty, property, dignity, and bodily autonomy are among the rights that people have fought and died to protect. | 7e13
|
10,000% | Machiavellianism |
|
Individualism | Should individuals ever be forced to make sacrifices to help others? The principle of individualism says no. To individualists, self-reliance is a virtue, and personal liberty is paramount. | 1e15
|
800% | Autocracy |
|
Right to Revolt | As long as there have been rulers, there have been ruler who abuse their power. The right to revolt is the belief that an unjust regime should be overthrown in favor of a better system. | 1e17
|
15,000% | Human Rights |
|
Collectivism | This is the belief that decisions should serve the welfare of the group above all, even if some individuals suffer. To collectivists, the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. | 2.5e18
|
5,000% | Individualism Right to Revolt |
|
Anarchism | Anarchy, literally "no ruler," is a way of organizing society without hierarchies or coercive force. Everyone participates voluntarily, with no one wielding power or authority over anyone else. Worker cooperatives, for instance, often run on anarchist principles. | 1e20
|
2,500% | Collectivism |
|
Thinking... | This is a big one. It could take a while... | 5.00e29
|
1e11% | What's the Answer? |
Epistemology Efficiency[]
Epistemology has 8 upgrades, increasing the generator efficiency with a total x3.96e17 multiplier.
| Icon | Name | Description | Cost | Efficiency | Requires |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
What Do We Know? | Where does knowledge come from? Is there an ultimate source of truth? | 8e8
|
100% | Epistemology |
|
Pramana | This Sanskrit word means "ways of obtaining knowledge" and includes methods like perception, inference, and oral or written testimony. Many philosophical traditions recommend using multiple pramana to gain fuller understanding, rather than favoring a single method. | 2e9
|
100% | What Do We Know? |
|
How Do We Know? | How do we obtain knowledge? What does it mean to know something? Is there a difference between knowing and believing? | 5e9
|
100% | Epistemology |
|
Socratic Method | The Greek philosopher Socrates taught his students by asking lots of questions and discussing ideas. The Socratic method of truth-finding, rooted in dialogue and debate, is foundational to Western philosophy. | 3e11
|
1,000% | How Do We Know? |
|
Rationalism | Believing that reality is inherently logical, rationalists hold that reason and inference are the best tools for finding the truth. Rationalism rejects other methods like perception, intuition, or appeal to authority. | 6e12
|
200% | Pramana |
|
Empiricism | Is seeing believing? It is for empiricists, who believe that knowledge only comes from using the senses to encounter the outside world. The empirical method relies on perception, observation, and direct experience. | 4e13
|
300% | Rationalism |
|
Skepticism | It may not be possible to truly "know" anything. What if all human knowledge is biased and unreliable? This is the position of skeptics, who doubt anyone claiming to have the ultimate truth. | 2e22
|
2.5e10% | Socratic Method |
|
What's the Answer? | So, what is the answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything? | 2e29
|
1.5e08% | Transcendence |
Metaphysics Efficiency[]
Metaphysics has 11 upgrades, increasing the generator efficiency with a total x7.13976e12 multiplier.
| Icon | Name | Description | Cost | Efficiency | Requires |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
How Did It Start? | What is the origin of the universe? Why is there something rather than nothing? Where did it all come from? | 1e14
|
200% | Metaphysics |
|
Cosmology | What is the origin of our planet? Of the universe? Was it created, or did it spring into existence from nothing? Myths, religion, and science all try to answer these ultimate cosmological questions. | 3e14
|
150% | How Did It Start? |
|
Why Am I Aware? | What is the nature of consciousness? What makes me "me," and not you? | 2e15
|
150% | Metaphysics |
|
Identity | Where does my self begin and end? What does it mean to attain personhood? Questions of identity interrogate what it means to be human and to be an individual. | 4e15
|
100% | Why Am I Aware? |
|
Ship of Theseus | Imagine Theseus's ship, in dock for repairs. If old planks are replaced one by one, until no original wood remains, is it still the same ship? What if the ship is you, and the planks are your cells? This thought experiment challenges our ideas of identity through time. | 4e16
|
600% | Identity |
|
Space & Time | Do time and space exist independently of each other? Why does time move only in one direction? While these questions were once considered philosophical, science has started to provide answers. | 2e21
|
1.5e6% | Cosmology |
|
Theology | Who or what created the universe? Is there one god, many, or none? If there are supreme beings, why did they create us-and what do they want? This is the domain of theology, the study of belief in a spiritual deity. | 1e23
|
5,000% | Cosmology |
|
Mind & Matter | How are the mind and body connected? Can one exist without the other? Do we have some immaterial essence, or are we all just machines made of meat? | 3e23
|
100% | Ship of Theseus |
|
Ontology | This is the study of being, existence, and reality. What are things fundamentally made of? How can entities be described and categorized? What is real? | 3e24
|
1,000% | Space & Time Theology Mind & Matter |
|
Ascetism | No pain, no spiritual gain. In pursuit of salvation or inner peace, ascetics spend their life in contemplation, rejecting attachments and abstaining from sensual pleasures. This monastic lifestyle is adopted by the most devoted followers of many religions. | 3e26
|
10,000% | What's the Good Life? |
|
Theism | Theism is the proposition that humans were created by an all-knowing entity according to a divine plan. This belief is a source of comfort and purpose. | 7e27
|
1,500% | What's the Point? |
Spirit Efficiency[]
Spirit has 10 upgrades, increasing the generator efficiency with a total x5.37144e8 multiplier.
| Icon | Name | Description | Cost | Efficiency | Requires |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
What Is Spirit? | What does the spirit consist of? Is it something separate from the body? | 1.5e19
|
100% | Spirit |
|
Theory of Forms | The Greek philosopher Plato theorized that everything in the world has a nonphysical essence, or Form. Physical objects are only imperfect imitations of these ideal, eternal Forms. | 3e19
|
200% | What Is Spirit? |
|
What Is Humanity? | What makes us human? What is humanity's essential nature-and can we change or overcome it? | 8e19
|
100% | Spirit |
|
Sapience | Sapient creatures have the capacity for self-awareness and self-reflection. While certain animals exhibit these traits, some people believe only humans are truly sapient. So do all dogs go to heaven, or not? | 3.5e20
|
100% | What Is Humanity? |
|
Soul | Some religions teach that a person's spiritual essence outlives the body. In Ancient Greece, this was called the psyche; it's also referred to as the soul. | 1e21
|
100% | Theory of Forms Sapience |
|
State of Nature | Are people essentially good, or not? Thomas Hobbes proclaimed humans brutish by nature, while Jean-Jacques Rousseau held that they are naturally caring and empathetic. No conclusion has been reached in this hotly debated topic. | 5e21
|
250% | Sapience |
|
Nondualism | Duality means "twoness," the idea that body and mind are seperate. Nondualism is the idea that, despite our seemingly individual experiences, we belong to a single, infinite consciousness. All of reality arises from one source, and everything is connected. | 1e22
|
200% | Soul |
|
Fate & Free Will | Are we in charge of our own fates, or is everything we do somehow predetermined? Or worse, random? If we can't alter the course of our lives, then how do we find meaning in them? | 7e23
|
10,000% | Soul State of Nature |
|
Solipsism | Have you ever wondered if you're the only person who really exists? What if everyone else is some kind of zombie or automaton only pretending to be conscious like you? Terrifying questions like this lead to solipsism, the idea that you alone are real. | 7e24
|
111% | Nondualism |
|
Transcendence | To transcend is to be spiritually liberated, breaking free from the limitations of physical existence. The concept of transcendence originates in Buddhist thought. It can be achieved only when one fully understands the nature of reality. | 8e28
|
500,000% | Stoicism Existentialism |
Meaning of Life Efficiency[]
Meaning of Life has 8 upgrades, increasing the generator efficiency with a total x2,499 multiplier.
| Icon | Name | Description | Cost | Efficiency | Requires |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
What's the Good Life? | What does a life well lived look like? What should we strive for? | 3e25
|
1,000% | Meaning of Life |
|
What's the Point? | Is there a purpose to existence? What is it? | 1e26
|
100% | Meaning of Life |
|
Nihilism | This movement grew out of upheaval and precarity in the wake of the Industrial Revolution. In Latin, "nihil" means "nothing": to nihilists, nothing in the world matters. Nihilism considers human values to be baseless, life meaningless, and knowledge impossible. | 7e26
|
0% | What's the Point? |
|
Hedonism | If it feels good, it must be right-right? Ethical hedonsim is the theory that the only point of existence is to enjoy it as much as possible. In pursuit of the good life, hedonists seek out pleasure and avoid pain. | 1e27
|
300% | Ascetism |
|
Absurdism | We want to find meaning in our lives, but what is there really is none? Arising out of the devastation of World War I, absurdism embraces the apparent chaos and meaninglessness of existence. | 3e27
|
100% | Nihilism |
|
Existentialism | Have you ever felt existential angst-a sense of dread at the meaninglessness of life? You could look for an essential point to the universe, or give up on one altogether. But existentialists believe it's up to individuals to create value and purpose in their own lives. | 5e28
|
400% | Absurdism Theism |
|
42 | In Douglas Adam's novel The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, another powerful supercomputer calculates that the answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything is 42. Unfourtunately, no one specified what the questions was! | 2.5e30
|
42% | The Answer Is... |
|
What's The Question? | It turns out that asking the right questions matters more than getting answers. | 4e30
|
100% | 42 |
Tech Tree[]
| The Big Questions Overview |
|---|
|
Trivia[]
- In the description for the upgrade "42", Semblance refers to the powerful supercomputer in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy as "another" one, implying that Semblance is a supercomputer.
- The tech tree looks like a crown.
Gallery[]
Announcement for the "The Big Questions" Event
 Explorations and Events
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|---|---|
| Season 1 |  James Webb Telescope •  Fungi •  Philosophy •  Mass Extinction •  Money •  Pollination
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| Season 2 |  Deep Sea Life •  Tea •  Music •  Human Body •  Visual Art •  Outbreaks •  Cats •  Rocks •  Cryptids •  Mathematics •  Artificial Intelligence •  Cheese
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| Special Events |  A Dodo Ghost Hunt •  Holiday Advent Calendar
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