Patsy asked:

"Discuss the claim that Human existence is a mystery."

So far I've looked at the question in a subjective way. My existence is not a mystery — I know I was
conceived, and am living (this is a bit Darwinian). Can we know why we exist? Is there an answer?
Do we look to a religious interpretation or go the rational route?

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I think that from your suggestions there is a confusion between two questions; One, "the claim that
Human existence is a mystery" and two, the additional problem, the weirdness of my own existence,
the fact that I exist, rather than someone else existing in my place.

As to the first one we can partially answer it with appeal to scientific theories, evolution, cosmology..
The Anthropic principle even tells us that we shouldn't be surprised that something like us exists —
given the state of the universe it was bound to happen. Of course we are still a long way off from
answering the question of why the universe exits at all rather than not existing, perhaps a religious
answer can help here (although see answers to Stephen's question about 'the why').

Regardless of the answer to these questions, they do not touch on the second question we have
asked; Why do I exist? the problem can arise in two ways:

First, we can ask Why was it ME that was conceived, rather someone just like me? Surely it is
possible that my parents could have conceived a different pair of cells, that could have developed, my
parents could even called this child Brian — but it might not have thisBrian, Me. What is it that
explains why I am me rather than someone else? Second we have to play the odds, Given the
extremely unlikely event that my parents actually each other, let alone got on with one another
enough to have a kid and then the unlikely event that their parents met and their parents parents met
and so on, my grasp on existence is tenuous at best. If anything went astray somewhere along the
line I would not be here — even though some one like me may be.

To explain why it is that I have my own little vantage point on the world, that's the mystery and no
account of atoms colliding, slugs crawling out of the sea, or people falling in love will answer it for me.
As for the religious route, (thanks to Geoff) I doubt even God could tell me why I exist rather than
someone just like me (check out Geoff's book Naive Metaphysics).

Brian Tee