The appendix supplements the content excluded in "the nature of answers," which mathematicians and programmers believe is best presented separately after some discussion.
Problem Statement#
Examples#
- "The meaning of my life is to watch MyGo," said the overly excited painter after trying alcoholic coffee for the first time, and while watching a video that made strange noises, he muttered with a grin, "All I can think about is myself," "Form a band for a lifetime," "I'll be the one to end it," and other incomprehensible ramblings.
- "The meaning of watching this anime is to go crazy, and going crazy is for happiness. Treating the pursuit of happiness as the meaning of life is truly meaningless." The screenwriter said this while taking a sip of bitter Americano, "These things are just like eating; after you’re full, you get hungry again, and it cycles endlessly and meaninglessly. What’s the use of that?"
- "Doesn't that mean that all our motivation, even the world in front of us, is meaningless?" The programmer took a sip of his latte and frowned at its sweetness, retorting, "Since all of this is meaningless, then helping us pay the bill shouldn't be a problem for you, so please help us with that later."
- Thus, the screenwriter and the programmer began to argue, "Terrible!" the painter shouted, starting to go even crazier, straining his voice to yell, "なんで春日影やったの！", and then began to sing in Japanese.
- "Alright, let’s articulate the essence of this problem," the mathematician stopped studying the Kongming chess and said, "The programmers' rebuttal does not address the root of the problem. They find that the result of constantly seeking meaning is that it cannot be found, so everything is meaningless to them. God is dead, and humanity is no longer chosen; the world is even more meaningless."
Problem Statement in Mathematical Language#
- Now let’s describe this thought process using more formal mathematical language:
- We have a function M(x), where M represents meaning, which means we can input x into this function to obtain the meaning y of parameter x.
- That is, M(x) = y; for example, in "The meaning of life is to enjoy happiness," life is parameter x, and y is enjoying happiness.
- If M(y) = z, then M’(x) = z, meaning the meaning of x is z.
- In the screenwriter's words, the painter's meaning of life is to watch that anime and go crazy, and going crazy is for happiness, so we can say the painter's meaning of life is for happiness.
- Therefore, if there is no result for M(y), that is, M(y) = null, then we have M’(x) = null, meaning x has no meaning, so y <> M(x).
- If we search for happiness again, even if we can find some new "for," according to this method, we will ultimately find no answer, so the painter's meaning of life cannot be found, and thus the painter's life is meaningless.
Analysis and Summary#
- Expressing the thought process in the form of mathematical language is a very convenient analytical method, allowing us to easily identify the problem.
- Regarding the conclusion, not finding something does not mean it is gone; it merely means we cannot conceive of it, just as the unknown is not an empty set.
- Regarding the reasoning process, when we talk about a meaning, we usually refer to the role of the thing corresponding to that meaning in the operational process, or some form of art and beauty. When we discover that something is done "for" a certain meaning, it does not mean that "for xxx" is the only meaning of that thing, nor does it mean that its original meaning disappears because we discovered what it is for.
- One thing can serve as the meaning of another, but at the same time, it itself is meaningless. A thing can participate in no operational process or have no art and beauty, yet it still exists.
- Even if nothing existed before the Big Bang, and it had no meaning, that does not mean the painter's craziness is meaningless. The meaning of the painter's craziness is for happiness, but this is a different matter from the fact that the Big Bang had no other purpose.
We cannot say that the meaning of the painter's craziness is for the Big Bang.
- Therefore, due to the above invalid factors, such a thought process is clearly untenable; it treats certain meanings as the entirety we can obtain, which is evidently incorrect. In the painter's words, "I know all of this is wrong because I have a condition where I want to laugh whenever I hear the prelude to Haruhi Suzumiya."