The year 2020 has forced us to reevaluate pretty much everything, from how we work to how we can survive as a species. We have struggled with isolation and uncertainty, and many of us have had to come face-to-face with death itself. There’s no doubt it’s been a year for existential moments.

Just before the pandemic started, The Conversation – in partnership with BBC Future – launched a series, Life’s Big Questions, that sought to provide answers to existential conundrums. Asked by readers, and responded to by experts keen to think outside the box, they are now more relevant than ever.

The in-depth articles have covered many questions that science still struggles to answer, from the nature of love, evil and happiness to the great enigma of consciousness and the idea that humans are evolving beyond nature. They have also aimed to offer guidance. How do you become less bigoted? Why can’t you stop thinking about your dead parents, and what can you do about it? And how do you stay motivated in the face of our planet’s inevitable decline, when many argue that humans simply lack the altruism and long-term thinking that is needed to deal with the crisis?

Many answers have been surprising. For example, have you ever wondered what it actually feels like to die? Can it be a positive experience? A consultant working in palliative medicine argued that a euphoric death may be possible, explaining how our final moment is likely to be influenced by a cocktail of brain chemicals and the manner in which our brains shut down.

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