unanswerable

Sometimes a question is so complex, so deeply tied to mystery, or so lacking in facts that no clear answer can be given. Think of asking what existed before the Big Bang or trying to fully explain consciousness. These are not just hard questions; they may be beyond our ability to answer in any final way. The word can also be used in argument and debate. An unanswerable point or argument is so strong that the other side cannot give a good reply.

The word unanswerable describes something that cannot be answered. This may be because the question deals with a mystery too deep for us to solve, because the facts are missing, or because no final answer is possible. It goes beyond being merely difficult; an unanswerable question is one for which no satisfying response can be found. You will often meet this word in discussions of philosophy, science, or religion. For instance, "Why is there something rather than nothing?" is often treated as an unanswerable question. In this sense, the word marks a point where human inquiry reaches its limit.

Beyond the realm of mystery, the term is also used for arguments, criticism, or evidence that are so strong that no good rebuttal can be made. If a lawyer makes an unanswerable case, or a critic offers an unanswerable argument against a plan, the idea is that the other side has no convincing response. Here, the word does not mean "mysterious." It means "too strong to answer successfully."

It is important to distinguish unanswerable from "unknown." An unknown fact is something we have not discovered yet. An unanswerable question, however, suggests that no real answer can be given, at least not with the knowledge or methods available. Whether it refers to a riddle with no solution or a claim that cannot be effectively challenged, the word describes a point where further reply seems impossible.