Utility

Man asks what is of existence that it is. He searches for the answer, trying to explain the universe as precisely as he could. This might be partly because his ability to think challenges him to use it to the fullest - rational pride as one might say - but regardless of what it precisely is, the drive is inert and powerful on its own. One might not notice, but the daily activities of a certain being is made possible by the subconscious, if not unconscious longing to find the purpose of life. Thus, it is of great interest to try uncovering this puzzle.

A piece of paper lies on the desk. What is written on it? Nothing, it's blank. How did it get there? Someone placed it on the desk. Why was it placed there? It would be used to write a draft of an essay. What essay would that be? An integration paper that is supposed to reach the teacher's hands by tomorrow. What ideas would it talk about? The Philippine society, its problems and suggested solutions. What would be the problems that are present in the Philippines? Many, and corruption is one of them. What is that corruption that troubles the Philippine society? Abuse of power, unfair governance, short-term policies. What is power, or governance perhaps? The ability and responsibility of controlling certain aspects of the community. How is this control imposed? Through laws and orders. Why should there be laws? To keep the community harmonized. Why should the community be harmonized? To avoid conflicts which could hurt people. Why should people not get hurt? Because it is their right to get hurt. Why do people have rights?

Because their existence is for a purpose.

Silly as it may seem, seemingly ordinary facts point toward the essential question of utility. This is true for all. Even if one asks about the peanut butter inside a sandwich, one would end up rationalizing existence. But what really is the utility of human life, as well as of everything existing in the universe?

Observing the workings of the perceivable world, one could not make out details of its motion (which is both physical and metaphysical in aspect). Thus, it is nearly impossible to inspect on its purpose, which lies beneath the mechanisms. But then, further reasoning would lead us to look upon the blurred images of the system, distinguishing patterns from which a vague idea could be reconstructed. The behavior of the universe is almost as irrational as the word itself, and this is in a very paradoxical way. What is meant is that the universe is very systematic, and seems to have rigid laws that puts everything in place. But the mere fact that exceptions exist on virtually every law disrupts the law itself, and a new law of larger scope is then created. This conflict is essentially endless, and the possibility of an ultimate law is a question rhetorical in quality. Then we realize that it is a detail we are trying unravel; patterns are what is sought for. We can then see that the conflict-resolution cycle leads to a seeming endpoint; and that is one of greater rationalization, i.e. more logical. This more reasonable end is a seeming standard that the universe's workings drive on, and one could only speculate at the identity of the asymptote (one amazing fact is that higher math, though it looses that practicality which most students invoke during times of incomprehensibility, touches on philosophy, especially its accurate description of the universe). One can easily find a word for it, however, and it is this that the whole argument is leading to:

Perfection.

Indeed, the natural tendency of all things is to achieve perfection. One would dispute on this through entropy or death or the impermanence of things, but one should notice that even they have underlying theoretical concepts explaining their unity with the grand plan. Entropy, for example, may actually not be imperfection in itself. Though energy loses its utilitarian purpose, its existence can never be tied to human satisfaction. Thus it could be perfection for energy to become random heat. Alternatively, entropy could be seen as energy rising to a dimension of higher perfection, leaving imprints on this universe now seen as disorder. This also is an alternative explanation for death, for we are familiar with concept of heaven (the ultimate perfection) which proceeds death (the seeming exception). Chaos theory touches on this matter (again another fascinating math fact), and shows a theoretical hypothesis of how everything - even disorder itself - is systematic, much like how exceptions turn out to perfectly obey laws.

However, one would ask: isn't it too selfish, too base to say that mankind exists to perfect itself? This might somehow be true; but, thinking again, one could integrate this into one conclusion, and surprisingly it takes into account the deepest outcries of religion itself.

Perfection is beauty. Beauty is goodness. Goodness is love...Love is God.