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
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
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
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
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
Some ethical traditions treat honesty as an unconditional duty, while others argue truth should only be shared when it serves some positive purpose. This unresolved question complicates situations where truth offers little value beyond discomfort.
philosophy-ethics
global-unspecified
truth
serves
don
know
whether
humans
obligated
tell
even
benefit
haven
resolved
determine
mathematics-logic
ethical
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Some argue outcomes matter most regardless of how they were achieved, while others believe the means used fundamentally taint the value of the result. This unresolved tension appears throughout debates in both personal ethics and public policy.
philosophy-ethics
global-unspecified
achieved
means
value
don
have
resolved
way
determine
whether
good
know
haven
mathematics-logic
ethical
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Some long-term ethical frameworks argue humanity's continued existence matters more than any individual's current suffering, while others reject sacrificing real people for abstract future outcomes. This unresolved tension is increasingly relevant to debates on existential risk.
philosophy-ethics
global-unspecified
ethical
humanity
don
know
whether
prioritize
survival
species
over
wellbeing
resolved
haven
determine
mathematics-logic
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Some frameworks emphasize the intentions behind an act, while others focus purely on the actual consequences, leading to very different moral judgments in identical situations. This unresolved tension remains a foundational issue in ethical theory.
philosophy-ethics
global-unspecified
act
intentions
don
know
whether
done
good
but
bad
outcome
resolved
haven
mathematics-logic
determine
possible
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Ocean shipping produces a significant share of global greenhouse gas emissions, yet the industry has been slower than others to adopt cleaner fuel alternatives at scale. Speeding up this transition remains an unresolved climate challenge.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
shipping
don
have
reliable
way
track
reduce
carbon
footprint
whether
philosophy-ethics
determine
resolved
agreed
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Some compression methods shrink files perfectly for certain data but fail badly on others, and no universal, lossless method works equally well for everything. Solving this could make data storage and transmission dramatically more efficient.
society-governance
global-unspecified
data
haven
solved
compress
information
any
loss
all
types
some
technology-computing
whether
philosophy-ethics
systems
mathematics-logic
african
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
Some countries and industries pay a real cost for carbon emissions, while others pay nothing, creating an uneven playing field that undermines climate goals. A consistent global carbon price remains politically and technically unresolved.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
carbon-emissions
carbon
price
emissions
don
have
fair
way
every
country
industry
philosophy-ethics
whether
resolved
determine
agreed
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Some people reach old age with sharp minds and healthy bodies, while others decline much earlier, and genetics only explains part of it. Understanding this gap could extend healthy years of life for far more people.
philosophy-ethics
global-unspecified
people
some
age
others
don
fully
understand
slower
healthy
reach
whether
resolved
haven
determine
know
mathematics-logic
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Some cancers are caught early and treated successfully, while others are found too late simply because no cheap, accurate screening exists for them. Broader early detection could save far more lives than treatment breakthroughs alone.
health-biology
global-unspecified
early
screening
don
have
affordable
cancer
catches
every
type
enough
philosophy-ethics
whether
determine
way
resolved
haven