The distinguished physiologist Emil du Bois-Reymond had addressed the Berlin Academy in 1880, outlining what he regarded as seven riddles about nature that he believed were beyond knowledge, declaring them ‘ignoramus et ignorabimus’. Things we do not know and will never know. In the light of my attempt to understand what questions may be beyond knowledge, it is interesting to compare my list with the seven riddles presented by du Bois-Reymond: The ultimate nature of matter and force The origin of motion The origin of life The apparent teleological arrangements of nature The origins of simple
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