Elon Musk explains his 'motivating philosophy' and how it revolves around a series of questions about the meaning of life

During an interview on Thursday, the richest man in the world explained what motivates him in his work.

Musk said he developed his philosophy after reading "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the GALAXY" as a teen.

The question is harder than the answer, Musk said during an interview at the 2022 TED conference.

The science fiction novel has a lot of questions about the meaning of life. Musk said the book gave him some relief from some of the German philosophers that he studied.

Musk said he finds his purpose in questioning reality and the meaning of life.

Musk said that his philosophy is to expand the scope and scale of consciousness that we may better understand the nature of the universe.

Finding ways to 'expand the scope and scale of consciousness'

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It is not the first time that Musk has mentioned The Hitchhikers Guide to the GALAXY.

Musk wants to expand the scope and scale of consciousness, biological and digital, and learn how to better ask three questions.

During the interview, Musk said that he has always had a deep curiosity in the universe and what it means to exist in it, and that's why he has always had a lot of motivation. He has speculated in the past whether life is a simulation.

Musk said that he was trying to understand the meaning of life by reading religious texts and books on philosophy.

How Musk's childhood shaped his business sensibility 

Musk said that a condition on the Autism spectrum that impacts an individual's ability to effectively socialize and communicate with others has played into his success. During his monologue last year, the billionaire revealed he had a condition.

Musk said that social clues were not intuitive when he was growing up, and that pushed him to focus more on reading and coding.

I don't believe I had a happy childhood. Musk said it was rough, but he read a lot of books. He said that most people don't enjoy typing strange symbols into a computer.

Musk speculated that his condition might have made him want to build.

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I was obsessed with truth. Musk said that he studied physics because it attempts to understand the truth of the universe.

The billionaire said he wants to build things that could improve the state of the world.

Musk said that we should fight for the things that make us excited about the future.