Hard Problems
A curated collection of the most profound questions that continue to challenge our understanding of the universe.
1. The Hard Problem of Consciousness
Why does subjective experience arise from physical processes?
While neuroscience can explain brain activity, it cannot yet explain why we feel sensations like pain, joy, or color perception (qualia).
Core Questions
- Why does the firing of neurons create subjective experience?
- Is consciousness a fundamental property of the universe (panpsychism)?
Current Theories
- Physicalism: Arises from physical brain processes.
- Dualism: Consciousness is separate from the brain.
- IIT: Correlates with information integration levels.
Why It Matters
Understanding consciousness has implications for building ethical AI and exploring the nature of reality.
2. The Nature of Reality
What is the fundamental nature of the universe?
Dive into questions about the structure of reality, determinism, and whether space and time are emergent phenomena.
Read deep dive →3. The Problem of Free Will
Are our choices truly free or determined by physical laws?
This section explores whether free will can coexist with determinism and the implications for human behavior.
Read deep dive →4. The Origins of Life
How did life originate from non-living matter?
Understand the transition from chemistry to biology and the quest to replicate life's origins in the lab.
5. The Problem of Time
Is time an illusion or a fundamental property of reality?
Investigate the arrow of time, its directionality, and its relationship with quantum mechanics and relativity.
6. Dark Matter and Dark Energy
What makes up the 95% of the universe we cannot see?
Explore the search for dark matter and the mysteries of dark energy driving the universe’s expansion.
7. The Fermi Paradox
Why have we not found evidence of extraterrestrial civilizations?
Dive into potential explanations, from the Great Filter to the simulation hypothesis.
8. The Problem of AGI
How do we create human-like general intelligence?
Discuss the alignment problem, ethical risks, and the future of superintelligent systems.
9. The Problem of Quantum Measurement
Why does observation cause the wavefunction to collapse?
Explore interpretations of quantum mechanics and the mystery of the measurement problem.
10. The Problem of Morality
Are moral truths objective or subjective?
Examine the origins of morality, the role of evolution, and whether machines can possess moral reasoning.