unknowables
Forever hidden truths
Things that cannot be known, whether by nature or by limitation of human understanding.
Philosophy distinguishes between the temporarily unknown and the permanently unknowable—questions that lie beyond possible experience or evidence.
The unknowables keep philosophers employed.
In casual use, unknowables are simply matters we accept we'll never figure out: Some things are unknowables—why she left, what he was thinking.
Unexplained phenomena or events
- riddlesPuzzling questions or teasers
- secretsConcealed information
- hiddenKept out of sight
- veiledConcealed or obscured
obscured · ciphers · puzzles · sphinx · arcana · esoterica · unsolved
Beyond ordinary experience
- ineffableBeyond verbal expression
- imponderableBeyond estimation or measure
- unfathomableBeyond comprehension or measurement
- intangibleNot physically present
sublime · inexplicable · ungraspable · numinous · infinite · eternal · absolute · immaterial
Doubt about divine existence
- skepticismDisposition toward doubt
- uncertaintyState of being unsure
- indeterminacyLack of fixed outcome
- incompletenessState of lacking parts
inscrutability · impenetrability · opacity · inaccessibility
Cessation of life
- afterlifeExistence beyond mortality
- consciousnessState of sentient awareness
- free-willAutonomous decision-making capacity
- soulInnermost animating essence
destiny · fate · qualia · near-death · reincarnation · oblivion · mortality · purpose
Hypothetical set of universes
- singularityPoint where values explode
- infinityUnlimited extent or quantity
- eternityBoundless temporal existence
- originsPoints where things start
Foretelling of future events
- oracleAuthoritative wisdom source
- divinationForetelling through mystical means
- clairvoyanceExtrasensory perception ability
- fortune-tellingClaiming to predict futures
tarot · augury · soothsaying · omens · premonition · precognition · tea-leaves · palmistry
mysteries
Unexplained phenomena or events
veiled · obscured · ciphers · puzzles · sphinx · arcana · esoterica · unsolved
transcendental
Beyond ordinary experience
- ineffableBeyond verbal expression
- imponderableBeyond estimation or measure
- unfathomableBeyond comprehension or measurement
intangible · sublime · inexplicable · ungraspable · numinous · infinite · eternal · absolute · immaterial · ethereal
agnosticism
Doubt about divine existence
- skepticismDisposition toward doubt
- uncertaintyState of being unsure
- indeterminacyLack of fixed outcome
incompleteness · inscrutability · impenetrability · opacity · inaccessibility
death
Cessation of life
- afterlifeExistence beyond mortality
- consciousnessState of sentient awareness
- free-willAutonomous decision-making capacity
soul · destiny · fate · qualia · near-death · reincarnation · oblivion · mortality · purpose · theodicy
multiverse
Hypothetical set of universes
- singularityPoint where values explode
- infinityUnlimited extent or quantity
- eternityBoundless temporal existence
prophecy
Foretelling of future events
- oracleAuthoritative wisdom source
- divinationForetelling through mystical means
- clairvoyanceExtrasensory perception ability
fortune-telling · tarot · augury · soothsaying · omens · premonition · precognition · tea-leaves · palmistry · scrying
unknowablescertainties
Assured truths
certitudes · givens · axioms · truisms · self-evident truths