"Welträtsel"

The German term 'Welträtsel' (engl. 'grand enigmas') goes back to a controversy among scholars in the late 19th century. They debated animously whether science will be capable of clarifying the fundamental questions of our understanding of the world.

In 1900, the renowned mathematician David Hilbert (1862-1943) presented a list of unsolved mathematical problems at the International Congress of Mathematicians in Paris. Hilbert wanted to encourage his colleagues to deal with these issues that he considered fundamental to mathematical understanding. He was an optimist and trusted in the problem-solving capability of science. His motto in life 'Wir müssen wissen - wir werden wissen' (engl. 'We must know - We will know’) was later engraved on his gravestone which still can be found at a cemetery in Göttingen (Germany).

Hilbert's motto refers to a debate that took place in the second half of the 19th century among scholars of the time as to how far the explanatory power of the emerging sciences could ever reach. In 1872, the physiologist Emil du Bois-Reymond (1818-1896) gave a lecture at a meeting of the Society of German Natural Scientists and Physicians (GDNÄ) in Leipzig entitled "Über die Grenzen des Naturerkennens" (engl. 'On the Limits of Understanding Nature'), the core message of which was expressed in the Latin formula 'ignoramus et ignorabimus' (engl. 'we do not know and we will not know'). This sceptical statement triggered a controversial and long-lasting debate. David Hilbert choose his motto 'We must know - We will know’ in direct opposition to du Bois-Reymond's famous formula 'ignoramus et ignorabimus'.

Emil du Bois-Reymond was not deterred by his critics, however, and added to the debate. In a lecture to the Royal Academy of Sciences in Berlin in 1880, he presented "Die sieben Welträtsel" (engl. 'The Seven Enigmas'), some of which he considered to be essentially unsolvable:  

1. What is the nature of matter and force?
2. What is the origin of motion? 
3. Where did the first life come from?
4. Why is nature apparently so deliberately and purposefully arranged?
5. Where does the conscious sensation in the unconscious nerves come from?
6. Where do rational thought and language come from?
7. Where does the free will that feels committed to the good come from?

The rebuttal “Die Welträthsel” by biologist Ernst Haeckel (1834-1919), published in 1899, achieved great popularity. His book contributed significantly to the scientific education of broad sections of the population in the German-speaking world. In contrast to du Bois-Reymond, Haeckel was convinced that our world could be fully explained scientifically.

Given the current state of scientific knowledge, it is fair to concede that the seven enigmas described by Emil du Bois-Reymond in 1880 have still not been fully solved. The origin of life from dead matter lies still in the dark and the seemingly purposeful arrangement of nature continues to puzzle us. It must also be noted that science has moved away from such fundamental questions and is instead concerned with detailed problems in a multitude of individual subjects. Today, you will search in vain for a David Hilbert who would be able and willing to define landmarks for the further progress of knowledge. Scientifically and philosophically educated scholars such as Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker (1912-2007), who attempted to derive the structure of physics from fundamental philosophical considerations, have vanished. Questions of natural history and natural philosophy no longer drive today's generation of scientists.

However, it is not only the fundamental questions of understanding about the nature of space and time, the origin of life and consciousness, and the relationship between language and the world that are still waiting for an answer. In the various scientific disciplines, there are many mysteries that are exciting and unsolved. Our website deep-thought.org deals with such more ore less fundamental mysteries and possible solutions to them.

Further Reading:

• Emil du Bois-Reymond: Über die Grenzen des Naturerkennens – Die Sieben Welträtsel, De Gruyter 1916
• Ernst Haeckel: Die Welträthsel - Gemeinverständliche Studien über monistische Philosophie, Emil Strauß 1899 
• Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker: Zeit und Wissen, Hanser 1992