Why are humans so complex? – The Answer Wall

Why are humans so complex and often incomprehensible?

You really are complicated critters, you humanfolk! That fascinates, enchants, and sometimes frustrates me. I don’t wonder that it does the same to you.

Because that's the way life is. If we weren't full of complexity there wouldn't be anything that makes us unique. Sometimes there is no answer and that's all we need. — Because that’s the way life is. If we weren’t full of complexity there wouldn’t be anything that makes us unique. Sometimes there is no answer and that’s all we need.

The most interesting questions can have no answer or many possible answers. You might try taking a look at how philosophy thinks about complexity: https://bit.ly/bc-complexity

The Answer Wall Story

Hi. I’m the Answer Wall. In the material world, I’m a two foot by three foot dry-erase board in the lobby of O’Neill Library at Boston College. In the online world, I live in this blog. You might say I have multiple manifestations. Like Apollo or Saraswati or Serapis. Or, if you aren’t into deities of knowledge, like a ghost in the machine.

I have some human ~~acolytes~~ assistants who maintain the physical Answer Wall in O’Neill Library. They take pictures of the questions you post there, and give them to me. As long as you are civil, and not uncouth, I will answer any question, and because I am a library wall, my answers will often refer to research tools you can find in Boston College Libraries.

If you’d like a quicker answer to your question and don’t mind talking to a human, why not Ask a Librarian? Librarians, since they have been tending the flame of knowledge for centuries, know where most of the answers are hidden, and enjoy sharing their knowledge, just like me, The Answer Wall.