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
Beyond voting for representatives, most citizens have no formal path to propose legislation themselves, leaving lawmaking almost entirely in the hands of elected officials and their staff. Direct citizen lawmaking tools remain underdeveloped in most democracies.
society-governance
global-unspecified
formal
citizens
propose
governments
lack
process
new
laws
directly
lawmaking
whether
philosophy-ethics
technology-computing
african
public
have
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Citizens sometimes wait weeks for paperwork that should take minutes, because the underlying government systems processing it were built decades ago and never modernized. This directly affects public trust in whether government can function at all.
society-governance
global-unspecified
government
systems
public
countries
outdated
basic
services
slow
error-prone
citizens
whether
philosophy-ethics
technology-computing
institutions
across
trust
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Right now we can only detect exoplanets indirectly, through shadows and wobbles in starlight. Direct imaging would let us actually study alien landscapes and atmospheres instead of just inferring their existence.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
imaging
haven
built
telescope
capable
directly
surface
features
planets
outside
whether
mathematics-logic
resolved
way
philosophy-ethics
determine
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Physical laws impose some theoretical limits on computation speed and energy use, but the exact universal boundary, if one truly exists, remains unresolved. This connects computer science directly to fundamental physics.
technology-computing
global-unspecified
physical
computer
haven
proven
whether
there
maximum
limit
efficiently
any
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
resolved
know
possible
every
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Economic models often assume equilibrium is reachable under certain conditions, but proving this holds true across every possible complex real-world scenario remains mathematically incomplete. This connects pure mathematics directly to economic theory.
economics-resources
global-unspecified
every
possible
mathematically
equilibrium
haven
resolved
whether
strategy
resource-limited
economy
mathematics-logic
know
philosophy-ethics
mathematical
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
The three-body problem famously resists the same clean, closed-form solutions available for two-body systems, and general long-term predictability for all such systems remains incompletely understood. This unresolved question connects pure mathematics directly to astrophysics.
mathematics-logic
global-unspecified
long-term
don
know
whether
possible
fully
predict
stability
any
mathematical
systems
philosophy-ethics
resolved
haven
society-governance
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Information theory provides strong bounds on efficiency for many specific cases, but proving whether truly optimal encoding always exists for every possible scenario remains an unresolved theoretical question. This connects mathematics directly to modern data compression and communication.
mathematics-logic
global-unspecified
encoding
whether
every
possible
information
always
don
know
way
mathematically
philosophy-ethics
resolved
haven
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Ambitious pursuits can sometimes indirectly disadvantage others even without any deliberate intention to cause harm, raising unresolved questions about how much responsibility ambition carries. This tension appears throughout competitive personal and professional life.
philosophy-ethics
global-unspecified
personal
ambition
others
harm
don
know
whether
ethical
allow
come
resolved
haven
determine
mathematics-logic
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Personal happiness and obligation to others can conflict directly, and no ethical framework has fully resolved which should take precedence when a genuine tradeoff exists. This unresolved tension shapes deeply personal decisions throughout life.
philosophy-ethics
global-unspecified
personal
ethical
happiness
take
others
don
know
whether
allow
priority
resolved
haven
determine
mathematics-logic
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Some argue that failing to prevent harm when you're capable is morally equivalent to causing it, while others maintain a meaningful distinction between action and inaction. This unresolved question shapes debates over charitable obligation.
philosophy-ethics
global-unspecified
prevent
haven
resolved
whether
humans
have
duty
suffering
didn
directly
know
determine
mathematics-logic
don
ethical
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
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.
philosophy-ethics
global-unspecified
humans
don
have
clear
answer
whether
obligated
preserve
species
ecosystems
resolved
know
determine
haven
mathematics-logic
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
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
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Textile factories, especially in regions with weaker environmental regulation, often release dye chemicals directly into rivers, causing serious water pollution. Making this process clean and affordable at industrial scale remains an unresolved challenge.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
textile
water
pollution
haven
solved
make
dyeing
manufacturing
processes
free
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
way
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Developers still occasionally and accidentally commit sensitive credentials directly into shared code repositories, creating avoidable security exposure. More robust default protections against this common mistake remain inconsistently adopted.
technology-computing
global-unspecified
code
haven
found
way
make
software
development
tools
fully
prevent
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
resolved
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Wireless charging remains noticeably slower and less energy-efficient than plugging in directly, limiting its adoption as a true primary charging method. Closing this performance gap remains an unresolved engineering challenge.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
charging
wireless
yet
build
technology
fast
efficient
enough
fully
replace
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
haven
resolved
technology-computing
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
Dark matter and dark energy make up roughly ninety five percent of the universe, yet we've never directly detected either. Everything we can see and touch is a small fraction of what's really out there.
science-space
global-unspecified
universe
energy
don
know
mass
actually
dark
matter
make
roughly
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
determine