The question concerns itself with perception and meaning. If it doesn't seem possible to ask such questions, bear with me. If you still don't understand after the next chapter, you can ask for your money back . Is, of course, the parent question to all the empirical sciences AND Religion. Here I should make something clear.
Philosophy is merely the attempt to answer it.
What I will show, however, is that you can't get very far in answering this question unless you've got a satisfactory answer to the first question. And, in part, the spectacular failures to answer this question arise because those who have leapt in at this question often haven't understood the importance of the first question - which is why I rather hope I can demonstrate it to you. Academics will be even more surprised to see this one in the list. For now I will merely say that it is, without doubt a question that has preoccupied people for, at least, several thousand years. I view it as arrogant to dismiss it as unworthy of serious consideration.