Metaphysical questions
By Amanda Ieraci

Identity and change- the concept that nothing can exist without an identity and changes can only occur in reality causing an effect on existence

Charles Cooley's Looking Glass self theory, explains that people develop a sense of self based on how they are viewed by others meaning that your actions matter as they will create your identity.
https://lesley.edu/article/perception-is-reality-the-looking-glass-self

Religion and spirituality- the idea that there is a God in which began existence for a purpose

When looked at specifically from the Catholic religion, there are several stories explaining why each and every individual matters. Take the parable of the Good Samaritan for example; the Samaritan stopped to help some one who everyone else passed by. If he would not have done this the vulnerable man likely would have died and the Samaritan's fate could have also been changed. This story shows the many effects one small action can create for the future. This scenario can be associated with the question, where would I be if I had done one thing differently?
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+10%3A25-37&version=NIV

Mind and matter- the concept that despite the mind not being physical it can still effect the physical world or that people could be dualistic and live on separate from their physical selves.

The theory of dualism refined by René Descartes explains that the physical and psychological self are two separate entities meaning they may be associated but are not dependent on the other. This means that after the physical self dies the psychological self can survive. For anyone who believes in the afterlife that means their soul would find a new destination based on their actions while their physical body was still alive.
https://www.philosophybasics.com/branch_dualism.html

religion and spirituality- the concept that a divine being is directly engaged with the world whether as one single God or multiple

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4eTKh7xM7DQ
In this interview, a mother and her son describe their experience for God at a time when they were doubting his existence. After dying and coming back to life three separate times after a car accident, the son takes about his experience with going to heaven and he describes things that would have been possible for him to know otherwise.

Cosmology- The idea that the world was created and brought to life as a notion of deity

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t60MBskbNuc
In this Fox News interview with Eric Metaxas, author of the book Miracles; he explains that it is more likely for a divine being to have created this perfectly fit world, that can sustain life rather than to try to find an obscure scientific solution to the question.

Necessity- it is God is necessary as a creator for if existence was not possible for nothing exist then nothing could ever come into existence

the first Ontological Argument made by the philosopher Anselm explains; God's existence is real as he is not a contingent being his existence is not dependent on anyone but himself, where as human existence will always be contingent as it is dependent on the parents of the offspring.
https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/ontological-arguments/

cosmogony- the study of how the universe was created and the theory of how it continues to be

https://science.nasa.gov/astrophysics/big-questions/how-did-universe-originate-and-evolve-produce-galaxies-stars-and-planets-we-see-today
This is an article from NASA explaining how it was scientifically possible for the Earth to come into existence.

Necessity and possibilities- Necessity and possibility- the idea that for something to be a necessity it must apply to all worlds whereas possibilities may only apply to a few worlds and if it was possible for nothing to exist then nothing ever would

Thomas Aquinas’ Argument from Necessity explains why existence is necessary. In one point of empirical evidence, he proposes that objects are brought into the world and pass all the time. This means at any point they could exist or not exist.
https://philosophy.lander.edu/intro/necessity.shtml

Existence and consciousness- the idea that in order for one to debate existence they must exist with a conscious formed they brain allowing them to do so

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zORUUqJd81M
In this tedtalk Jim Holt explains that the world must exist in a reality whether it is nothing, full or somewhere in between.

https://malala.org/malalas-story this link provides the story of the young girl Malala who was at one point a helpless young girl but was then shot for going against her countries beliefs this sparked a change in her that gave her empowerment and a purpose of protecting the vulnerable in life

https://www.psypost.org/2018/08/people-who-are-socially-disconnected-turn-to-religion-to-restore-a-sense-of-purpose-to-their-lives-52082 This article explains that having religious beliefs can make people with less social interaction feel that they still have a purpose in life as they are serving and growing in a relationship with God

Determinism- the idea that every action, event and decision made by an individual conscious is predetermined by an unbroken chain of past occurrences

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-35650616
this article explains the Caste system in India as established in
Manusmriti. It explains that people are born into a certain status in life, this determines what occupation they will be allowed to work and who they will be allowed to interact with.

Cosmogony- The human fascination of how the world came to be in order to help understand our place and role

https://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/astrobiology/conditions/
This website explains why the Earth is habitable and signs of past life. How the Earth was created effects humans' place in the universe as life without the essential's on this planet as studied so far is impossible. In addition, history often repeats itself and humans must remain evolving to avoid this.

Existence and consciousness- the concept that individuals are either the precievers or the ones being percieved as a result of the conscious not being able to form without existence

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIdPo-soklY
This video questions that the universe could have a conscious of it's own that would determine life and even without the conscious life would still occur as a result of evolution. this is a theory known as Panpsychism.