Repository of problems worth solving
World Solve is a public institutional repository for identifying real unresolved problems across science, society, health, governance, economics, and local systems. Each entry is intended to be citable, inspectable, and actionable.
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4194Total
4194Open
0Solved
9Humans
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Nationalist ethics often justify prioritizing citizens, while cosmopolitan views argue all human welfare deserves equal moral weight regardless of nationality. This unresolved tension underlies major debates in international policy and immigration.
philosophy-ethics
global-unspecified
welfare
don
have
agreed
way
determine
whether
ethical
prioritize
wellbeing
resolved
know
haven
mathematics-logic
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Ancient philosophers debated whether a truly virtuous life necessarily conflicts with self-interest or whether they ultimately align, and modern philosophy hasn't settled the question either. This affects how we understand the relationship between ethics and personal flourishing.
philosophy-ethics
global-unspecified
whether
self-interest
don
know
pursuit
ever
fully
reconciled
genuine
moral
resolved
haven
mathematics-logic
determine
possible
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Some ethical frameworks hold that risk to oneself doesn't excuse inaction when someone else's life is at stake, while others believe there are reasonable limits to what morality can demand. This unresolved question surfaces in real emergency and rescue situations.
philosophy-ethics
global-unspecified
risk
haven
resolved
whether
morally
acceptable
withhold
aid
those
need
know
determine
mathematics-logic
ethical
don
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Governments regularly allocate more resources and protection to their own citizens, but the philosophical justification for this unequal treatment of moral worth remains contested. This unresolved question underlies debates on immigration and international aid policy.
society-governance
global-unspecified
citizens
policy
don
have
clear
answer
whether
ethical
value
lives
philosophy-ethics
resolved
determine
know
haven
mathematics-logic
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Two people can make the same decision, but only one faces a bad outcome due to pure chance, raising the question of whether they deserve different moral judgment. This unresolved issue challenges standard assumptions about fairness in blame and praise.
philosophy-ethics
global-unspecified
whether
moral
don
know
luck
affect
judge
person
actions
people
resolved
haven
determine
mathematics-logic
possible
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Maximizing equality often requires limiting some individual freedoms, and maximizing freedom often produces significant inequality, creating a tension no single theory has fully resolved. This unresolved balance remains central to political philosophy.
philosophy-ethics
global-unspecified
fully
theory
equality
individual
freedom
haven
figured
out
whether
possible
resolved
mathematics-logic
know
determine
every
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Some argue art should be evaluated purely on artistic merit, while others believe morally repugnant content diminishes a work's value regardless of technical skill. This unresolved debate continues to shape discussions of controversial art and literature.
philosophy-ethics
global-unspecified
art
morally
don
have
agreed
way
determine
whether
judged
good
resolved
know
haven
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Policy decisions often implicitly require comparing the value of different lives, such as in healthcare rationing, yet no philosophical framework has fully justified how such comparisons should be made. This unresolved question has real consequences in medical ethics.
philosophy-ethics
global-unspecified
life
value
don
know
whether
meaningfully
compared
measured
against
another
resolved
haven
determine
mathematics-logic
ethical
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Some philosophers argue truth-seeking is intrinsically valuable and required for genuine autonomy, while others see no strict obligation to prefer difficult truths over comforting beliefs. This unresolved question touches on both ethics and epistemology.
philosophy-ethics
global-unspecified
comforting
haven
resolved
whether
humans
have
moral
duty
pursue
truth
know
determine
mathematics-logic
ethical
don
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Legal and moral systems generally reduce culpability under duress, but philosophers disagree on exactly how much personal agency remains, and thus how much responsibility should still apply. This unresolved question remains central to debates in criminal justice ethics.
philosophy-ethics
global-unspecified
under
duress
don
have
resolved
way
determine
whether
fair
hold
haven
know
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Some philosophical traditions argue coming into existence carries a built-in risk of harm that non-existence avoids entirely, while most people intuitively value life as a good in itself. This unresolved debate underlies serious questions in population ethics.
philosophy-ethics
global-unspecified
existence
itself
good
don
know
whether
considered
fundamentally
neutral
something
resolved
haven
determine
mathematics-logic
ethical
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Policies that protect the most vulnerable often slow down broader societal advancement or economic growth, creating an unresolved tension between compassion and collective progress. Different ethical frameworks weigh this tradeoff very differently.
economics-resources
global-unspecified
ethical
vulnerable
progress
haven
figured
out
whether
prioritize
protecting
even
philosophy-ethics
resolved
determine
know
mathematics-logic
don
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Respecting individual autonomy generally means allowing people to take on personal risk, but paternalistic intervention is sometimes justified when the harm seems severe or irreversible. Where exactly this line should be drawn remains unresolved.
philosophy-ethics
global-unspecified
people
harm
don
know
whether
ethical
allow
make
choices
will
resolved
haven
determine
mathematics-logic
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Some philosophers argue all observation and reasoning is inevitably shaped by underlying values, while others maintain a meaningful distinction between fact and value can still be preserved. This unresolved question underlies much of epistemology and philosophy of science.
philosophy-ethics
global-unspecified
values
haven
resolved
whether
possible
fully
separate
objective
facts
world
know
mathematics-logic
determine
every
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Persistent disagreement even among careful thinkers might suggest there's no single moral truth to discover, or it might simply reflect the difficulty of accessing a truth that does exist. This unresolved question remains central to metaethics.
philosophy-ethics
global-unspecified
moral
disagreement
don
know
whether
between
reasonable
well-informed
people
means
resolved
haven
determine
mathematics-logic
possible
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Certain industries and roles inevitably benefit from human suffering, such as disaster recovery services, raising unresolved questions about whether it's ever fully ethical to build wealth this way. This tension arises in many overlooked corners of the modern economy.
philosophy-ethics
global-unspecified
whether
ethical
suffering
haven
resolved
profit
others
even
you
didn
know
mathematics-logic
determine
possible
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
If someone's memories, personality, and values change completely, it's unclear whether they remain the same person in any meaningful moral or metaphysical sense. This unresolved question has real implications for how we treat people with advanced dementia.
philosophy-ethics
global-unspecified
whether
change
don
have
agreed
way
determine
personal
identity
survives
resolved
know
haven
mathematics-logic
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Predictive tools can estimate future risk with some accuracy, but punishing based on probability rather than actual action raises deep unresolved ethical concerns. This tension is becoming more pressing as predictive technology improves.
philosophy-ethics
global-unspecified
punishing
but
don
know
whether
possible
justify
people
crimes
haven
resolved
mathematics-logic
determine
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Wild animals experience enormous suffering from disease, starvation, and predation, and it's unclear whether humans have any duty to intervene, given the massive scale and complexity involved. This unresolved question is a growing but underexplored area of ethics.
philosophy-ethics
global-unspecified
whether
humans
have
any
suffering
wild
haven
figured
out
obligation
resolved
know
mathematics-logic
determine
possible
don
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Classic philosophical and literary dilemmas often pit personal love against broader moral duty, and no framework has fully settled which should reasonably take precedence. This unresolved tension continues to surface in real personal and professional decisions.
philosophy-ethics
global-unspecified
love
duty
take
don
have
resolved
way
determine
whether
priority
know
haven
ethical
