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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4094Total
4094Open
0Solved
9Humans
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
As AI systems increasingly influence what billions of people see, believe, and decide, someone is effectively choosing the values baked into those systems. There's no agreed process for who that someone should be, or how they should be held accountable.
society-governance
global-unspecified
decide
values
haven
settled
system
hold
systems
someone
increasingly
technology-computing
philosophy-ethics
whether
mathematics-logic
resolved
economics-resources
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Justice systems around the world vary wildly in how harshly they punish the same crimes, reflecting different beliefs about what punishment is actually for. Whether punishment should aim to rehabilitate, deter, or simply punish remains unresolved.
society-governance
global-unspecified
punishment
justice
don
agree
versus
revenge
punish
systems
around
world
whether
philosophy-ethics
resolved
determine
haven
mathematics-logic
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Different cultures, religions, and individuals define meaning and purpose in very different ways, with no way to prove one view more correct than another. This makes questions about how to live well deeply personal rather than settled.
philosophy-ethics
global-unspecified
haven
found
universal
answer
meaningful
life
requires
different
cultures
religions
whether
resolved
determine
know
don
way
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Free expression is valued almost everywhere, but so is protection from harassment, incitement, and harmful misinformation, and these values often conflict directly. No universal line exists for where one right ends and the other begins.
philosophy-ethics
global-unspecified
speech
free
don
agree
limits
cause
real
measurable
harm
expression
whether
determine
resolved
know
haven
mathematics-logic
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
As machines take over more jobs, some people may be unable to find meaningful paid work through no fault of their own. Whether society owes them support, and how much, remains a contested ethical and political question.
philosophy-ethics
global-unspecified
people
work
haven
settled
societies
treat
cannot
due
automation
machines
whether
resolved
determine
know
mathematics-logic
don
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
If AI systems ever become capable of something like suffering, we would have created that suffering deliberately, and we don't have a moral framework ready for that possibility. This question is likely to become urgent faster than expected.
philosophy-ethics
global-unspecified
have
suffering
don
capable
agreed
ethical
stance
creating
artificial
minds
whether
determine
resolved
way
know
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Some countries and individuals consume vastly more resources than others, and there's no broadly accepted definition of what a fair share would even look like. This makes global cooperation on resource use difficult to justify to everyone involved.
economics-resources
global-unspecified
fair
resources
haven
found
shared
standard
counts
distribution
some
philosophy-ethics
whether
resolved
determine
mathematics-logic
way
have
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Choices made now about climate, debt, and resource use will affect people who don't yet exist and have no voice in the decision. Philosophy hasn't settled how much weight their unheard interests should carry.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
don
have
made
agree
say
future
generations
decisions
today
choices
whether
philosophy-ethics
resolved
determine
agreed
way
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Advances in medicine keep pushing life expectancy higher, but there's no consensus on whether radically extending life is actually good for individuals or society. This question becomes more urgent as anti-aging research advances.
health-biology
global-unspecified
life
whether
haven
settled
right
extend
human
indefinitely
advances
medicine
philosophy-ethics
know
resolved
mathematics-logic
determine
possible
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
When an autonomous system makes a harmful choice, moral responsibility is hard to pin on any single party, the programmer, the company, or the AI itself. Ethics hasn't caught up with the reality of decisions made without direct human involvement.
philosophy-ethics
global-unspecified
don
have
widely
accepted
framework
deserves
blame
causes
harm
autonomous
whether
resolved
determine
know
agreed
way
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Vaccine mandates, speed limits, and lockdown policies all raise the same underlying question of how much individual liberty should bend for collective benefit. Different people and cultures answer this very differently, with no clear resolution.
health-biology
global-unspecified
answer
haven
found
shared
personal
freedom
limited
public
good
vaccine
whether
philosophy-ethics
resolved
determine
know
don
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Factory farming, animal testing, and habitat destruction all cause animal suffering for human benefit, but there's no consistent ethical standard for how much suffering is acceptable and why. This gap shows up in inconsistent laws and practices worldwide.
philosophy-ethics
global-unspecified
animal
suffering
human
don
agree
weigh
against
convenience
factory
farming
whether
determine
resolved
know
haven
ethical
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Colonization, slavery, and resource extraction left lasting harm in many parts of the world, and debates over reparations or restitution remain unresolved almost everywhere they're raised. There's no broadly accepted framework for addressing this.
philosophy-ethics
global-unspecified
haven
settled
obligations
wealthy
nations
owe
those
harmed
historical
actions
whether
resolved
determine
know
mathematics-logic
possible
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Gene editing could prevent serious diseases, but it also opens the door to selecting traits that have nothing to do with health. Society hasn't agreed on where prevention ends and something more troubling begins.
philosophy-ethics
global-unspecified
have
editing
don
clear
ethical
line
genes
unborn
children
gene
whether
determine
resolved
way
agreed
know
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Climate change, inequality, and other large problems result from systems, not just individual choices, yet blame and responsibility are still often placed on individuals. How we think about this shapes both policy and personal guilt.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
climate-change
responsibility
individuals
systems
haven
agreed
bear
caused
entire
climate
change
society-governance
whether
philosophy-ethics
technology-computing
resolved
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Surveillance can prevent crime and terrorism, but it also erodes personal freedom, and there's no consensus on where the right balance lies. Different societies draw this line in very different places.
social-civic-problems
global-unspecified
don
have
shared
answer
privacy
people
give
safety
different
surveillance
philosophy-ethics
whether
resolved
determine
know
agreed
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
More people are weighing whether having children is fair to those children, given the environmental future they may inherit. This is a deeply personal question without any broadly agreed answer.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
whether
haven
settled
ethical
bring
child
world
severe
climate
risk
philosophy-ethics
resolved
know
determine
mathematics-logic
don
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
As AI systems become more capable, questions about whether they deserve any form of moral consideration are becoming less theoretical. Society has no shared answer for where, if anywhere, that line should be drawn.
philosophy-ethics
global-unspecified
any
don
agree
rights
intelligent
system
have
systems
become
capable
whether
resolved
know
haven
determine
mathematics-logic
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Poorer countries often struggle with currency instability that makes trade, debt repayment, and planning far harder than for wealthier nations with stronger currencies. A more stable, fairer international monetary system remains unbuilt.
economics-resources
global-unspecified
stable
currency
system
poorer
nations
haven
found
doesn
disadvantage
philosophy-ethics
whether
mathematics-logic
resolved
determine
way
have
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
When automation replaces jobs, the resulting profits mostly go to business owners and shareholders, not the workers who lost their income. A fairer system for sharing these gains remains an unsolved economic and political question.
economics-resources
global-unspecified
automation
gains
workers
ensure
shared
fairly
displaces
replaces
jobs
resulting
philosophy-ethics
informal
whether
technology-computing
haven
determine
