World Solve

Competitive and cooperative instincts can pull people in opposite directions, and it's unclear whether a person or system can genuinely embody both without one undermining the other. This unresolved tension appears throughout economics, sports, and interpersonal relationships.

Life circumstances can change dramatically after a promise is made, and it's unclear how much this changed context should affect the moral weight of the original commitment. This unresolved tension appears in debates over long-term personal and professional commitments.

If every event is caused by prior physical states, it's unclear how genuine choice could exist in the way we intuitively believe it does. This tension underlies debates about moral responsibility, punishment, and praise.

If moral truths exist independently of human opinion, our task is to discover them; if not, morality may be more like a shared convention. This unresolved question underlies most ethical disagreements about right and wrong.

Consequentialist and deontological ethics offer fundamentally different answers, and thought experiments pitting them against each other rarely produce consensus. This tension underlies many real-world moral dilemmas.

Some philosophers argue that creating new life is never straightforwardly good given the guaranteed hardships of existence, while most people reject this conclusion intuitively. This unresolved tension underlies debates in population ethics.

Some philosophers treat privacy as essential to human dignity and autonomy, while others see it as a practical arrangement that can be reasonably traded away for security or convenience. This unresolved question underlies major surveillance debates.

Some philosophers argue true morality requires genuine concern for others, while others believe self-interest can align with moral behavior without undermining its validity. This unresolved question touches on the deepest motivations behind ethical action.

Some argue nature has value independent of human interest, while others see environmental protection as justified only by its benefit to humans, directly or indirectly. This unresolved debate underlies much of environmental ethics.

Even acts of apparent sacrifice can be explained by psychological rewards like satisfaction or social approval, raising doubt about whether pure altruism is even possible. Resolving this affects how we understand human motivation and moral praise.

Even setting aside physical determinism, some argue that all our choices are ultimately shaped by factors outside our control, like genetics and upbringing, undermining true freedom. This unresolved metaphysical question has significant implications for how we assign responsibility.

Some argue certain hardships build character or understanding in ways that make them valuable in hindsight, while others reject the idea that suffering is ever truly redeemed by its outcomes. This unresolved question shapes how we think about adversity.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Descendants of those who committed historical injustices, or who benefited from them, didn't choose their circumstances, yet many argue some moral responsibility still transfers across generations. This unresolved question underlies major debates about reparations and generational privilege.