The Case For Universalism

Rishabh.ambavanekar@gmail.com
Mon, 27 Apr 2026 04:42:56 GMT

Aims: This post aims to explore metaphysics from a rationalist perspective and delve into each philosophy, exposing logical errors/contradictions within them.

Universalism: We may not yet know the purpose of the universe, but we do know how to seek it; our duty is to acquire all cosmic knowledge, striving to understand and pursue the purpose, if it exists.

Human philosophy faces a fundamental issue. We live and die by the tenets of our philosophical worldviews, yet these beliefs rest on unfounded fundamentals. We claim a definite purpose and path in life while having insufficient knowledge. We adhere to religions, ideologies, and philosophical doctrines — nihilism, existentialism, absurdism — that prescribe how we should live. Yet, all of these are fundamentally rooted in assumptions, built upon our limited understanding. We are trying to plot a polynomial with one data point… it will never be possible. Therefore, the proper path requires that we first acquire all cosmic knowledge, using it to determine our place in the universe.

All other ideologies are flawed. Let us first examine the most common philosophical doctrines. (In the interest of brevity, I’ll define these ideologies in their most basic terms, though they are inherently complex. I recommend further research into each one.)

Nihilism: The universe is inherently meaningless.

Existentialism: The universe is inherently meaningless, but we create our own purpose.

Absurdism: Humans search for meaning in an inherently meaningless/indifferent universe, but we should continue to live even without answers (not trying to impose artificial meaning).

All three of these ideologies are flawed because they are based on the premise that the universe is meaningless. It is true that there has been no evidence indicating a meaning to the universe, however, this conclusion is drawn from a limited amount of knowledge. Absence of evidence is not the evidence of absence. Just as we cannot determine the health of a body from a single cell, we cannot discern whether the universe has a purpose without all cosmic knowledge. It is, therefore, foolish to plan your life based on the uncertain conclusion that the universe is meaningless. We must first gain knowledge to confirm this fact.

Religion (in broad terms): There is a defined purpose in the universe as outlined by a higher being.

Similar to the first three ideologies, religion is based on our limited set of knowledge. It is very well possible that by gaining knowledge we can confirm a religion as correct, but without first expanding our understanding we ought not to place blind trust in any purpose prescribed by a religion. Religion claims there is a purpose, but we must first gain all cosmic knowledge to confirm this fact and determine what the purpose is.

Soteriological religions (Buddhism, etc.): Humans should pursue individual liberation/salvation.

Altruism: Helping others should be pursued above all else.

Hedonism: Pleasure should be pursued above all else.

All three of these beliefs (for the most part) lack the realization that the individual and universe are not separate entities. The universe is simply a set of particles moving around in predefined patterns, obeying certain rules. We are just a subset of those particles. Our brain, our body, the air we breathe, and the world around us, are all part of the same system. The perception of objects is just arbitrary groupings of particles that our mind processes. We can arbitrarily create a group of five water molecules in the ocean and call it “John”, but that is still just the ocean; the group “John” that we created was a figment of perception, not of the universe. From a universal lens (taking a non-human-centric point-of-view), there is no difference between the individual and the universe. Therefore, it makes little sense to optimize for the individual (whether in terms of pleasure or nirvana) or the society (making an altruistic impact). We are a small set of particles in comparison to the grander universe, so it is foolish to maximize impact on this local group. That would be akin to optimizing for the health of the pinky instead of the whole body.

Some soteriological religions in particular face the problem that they claim to unlock universal understanding once nirvana is reached. However, scientifically, Humans are still limited by perception, biology, and our current set of knowledge, so it would be extremely unlikely that “nirvana” grants the answers to the universe. For that, we need to pursue all cosmic knowledge.

Determinist philosophies: The universe is deterministic, and by simply living, we are fulfilling our role in its grand design; we should align ourselves with the universe; every action we take is inherently part of its purpose.

While it is likely that determinism is an accurate model for our universe, that doesn’t warrant a philosophical passivism. If the universe is not deterministic and we confine humanity to philosophical passivism, we risk missing the opportunity to pursue the universe’s true purpose. As such, we must act as though we have free will, and pursue all cosmic knowledge. We are making the deterministic assumption based on our current limited knowledge, but there is always a possibility this could be proved incorrect given new information. Therefore, we must continue the relentless pursuit of knowledge despite determinism.

Idealism: The universe is the creation of a mind; there is no material reality.

Followers of idealism often tend toward a nihilistic or hedonistic outlook on life. This is because they believe that the universe only occurs within their conscious perception, so maximizing themselves maximizes the universe. This assumes there is no material reality outside of your individual observation. However, material reality can only be validated through expanding our knowledge and understanding of the universe. Assuming that there is no material reality presents the same dilemma as assuming determinism is true — it confines us to a perspective that may ultimately be mistaken. To confirm whether idealism or material reality holds, we must seek all cosmic knowledge. Until we achieve that, we must operate under the assumption that material reality exists, or we risk never having the opportunity to verify it.

Societal (commonly Western society): The universe may or may not have a purpose, but we will never find it so individuals should just live however they see fit. (Traditional Western philosophy is often a combination of religion, absurdism, and hedonism. It posits that Humans should just “enjoy life” and not question their purpose because they can’t impact the universe.)

This philosophy is the most widespread, but it relies on a mix of other ideologies that were already proven to be faulty. It rests on three incorrect notions:

1. The idea of “enjoying life” fails to hold any reason when considering the fact that the individual is not separate from the universe (so maximization of an individual life is foolish).

2. The uncertainty surrounding whether the universe has a purpose strengthens the case for Universalism, as it is the only approach that allows for verification of the answer.

3. Societal philosophy confines individuals to passivism. It posits that the sheer difficulty of confirming and finding a universal purpose warrants abandoning the pursuit of it. This perspective is profoundly misguided. The challenge of uncovering a universal purpose should not deter us from pursuing it; in fact, it is our most crucial endeavor. Without this pursuit, all other activities lack significance

Most philosophies are passive, encouraging people to remain content within their limited perception, knowledge, and sense of purpose. Universalism, on the other hand, is active. By acknowledging our lack of knowledge, it drives Humanity to seek truth rather than settle for illusion.

Discuss