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There exists for every human endeavor, and end which is beyond the action. That is to say, everything which is done, and everything which is sought is done or sought with a certain end in mind. This is not to be confused with, "Everything happens for a reason." Although, they are indeed similar.
Let us examine a couple of examples. First, is the example of working. Surely no one works a job only to work, but rather, one works in order to get money. Money could, in this case, be said to be the end of labor. However, this is not complete, because one does not accrue money because the currency is beautiful and pleasing, but rather it is used to feed and clothe one's self. Thus, feeding and clothing could be said to be the end. Again, this is incomplete, because there is an end to that as well. For one feeds and clothe's themselves in order to live, and live in society.
Let us forget other examples in the hopes of finding the root action. One indeed was likely to have woken up in order to go work, and fed and clothed themselves as well.
As one begins to see; All human action has an end outside of itself. There exists one thing, however that itself, is also the end for which it was sought. That is to say, there is no further end. Or rather is thought to be the very reason that it is sought, no further end being necessary. Knowledge.
Reason is the specific function of man. This comes from Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics 1.7 wherein he posits that in order to find the human good we must identify the function of a human being. There exists for a given thing a specific function which sets it apart from other things by virtue of its nature or essence. Man's is it's ability to reason. But knowledge is the foundation for reasoning. Therefore we learn Litterally because that is what we are.
We learn in order to know. This idea is old, but it has not lost its modern day relevance. John Henry Newman in his piece entitled, "The Idea of a University" in a subsection called, "Knowledge; It's Own End" posits that the end of a University Education is "very tangible, [very] real ... though the end cannot be divided from that knowledge itself." I think anyone paying student loans call tell you that education is expensive but ignorance more expensive even still.
Newman was giving an argument for one of the most important questions that I, as someone who has given much of their life in philosophical pursuits, has ever been asked. That is the question of why we study philosophy at all. He says that it ought to be obvious, "for I am stating what is both intelligible in itself, and has ever been the common judgment of philosophers and the ordinary feeling of mankind. I am saying what at least the public opinion of this day ought to be slow to deny, considering how much we have heard of late years, in opposition to Religion, of entertaining, curious, and various knowledge." This could not possibly have been said better, even after all of these years.
Thus we arrive at the answer to the question of why we pursue knowledge, that is to say that we have come to find the end for which we seek Knowledge in order to attain. That end IS the knowledge itself. It is our specific function. It is what makes us what we are. We seek to know in order that we may know more. We study philosophy because the attainment of wisdom is the very best thing for us as individuals and collectively as a race of humans. We contemplate eternal truths because that is what brings us peace of mind.
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