The big questions
A map of the referential's 80 main axes of discussion, each one a big question, with the main positions one can hold, across four relations and 17 territories. See the problem rose → · Grouped by theme
Relations
Positions
Difficulty
Territory
Relation to truthWhat can be known
Belief and knowledge
Relation to certaintyCan we reach definitive certainties?
The point of philosophyWhat is philosophy for?
The value of truthShould we want the truth at any cost, or do some illusions help us live?
Source of knowledgeWhere does our knowledge come from: sensory experience or reason?
Ethics of beliefCan we legitimately believe without sufficient evidence?
Justification of beliefWhat makes a belief justified?
Truth, language and science
Place of scienceIs science the only valid path to knowledge?
Nature of truthWhat makes a statement true?
Scientific methodHow does science go about justifying its claims?
Status of knowledgeDoes science describe the world as it is, or does it construct its own objects?
The meaning of wordsWhere do words get their meaning?
UniversalsDo general properties exist, or are they merely names?
Relation to oneselfWho I am, how to live
Existence
After deathDoes something of us survive death?
Temporal orientationToward which dimension of time should we orient our life: the present, the future, or the past?
The meaning of lifeHow should we respond to the enigma of life's meaning?
DeathWhat attitude should we take toward death?
Tonality of realityIs the world fundamentally good, or marked by the tragic?
Identity and freedom
Essence and existenceDo we have a nature that precedes us, or do we become what we choose to be?
Freedom of the willAre we genuinely free in our choices, or are they determined?
Nature of the selfWhat makes me remain myself through time?
Happiness and desire
Relation to desireWhat should we do with our desires: affirm them, sort them, or detach from them?
The highest goodWhat makes a life truly good: pleasure, flourishing, or virtue?
Adversity
Scope of actionFacing the world, should we focus on what is up to us or strive to extend our mastery?
The meaning of sufferingCan suffering have value, or should we strive to eliminate it as much as possible?
HopeIs hope a force that sustains life and action, or an illusion we ought to let go of?
Relation to the pastFaced with what has happened and cannot be changed, should we embrace it or rebel against it?
Presence
Attention and diversionIs diverting oneself a flight from what matters, or an art of living?
InteriorityShould we examine our inner life, or fulfill ourselves first and foremost through action?
Body and life
Bodily pleasuresShould we distrust the pleasures of the body, or celebrate them?
Enhancing human natureShould we use technology to enhance human nature beyond healing?
Being or having a bodyAm I my body, or do I have a body?
Relation to othersWhat we owe each other
Bonds
PartialityIs it right to give moral priority to those close to us?
ForgivenessShould forgiveness be unconditional, or does it depend on the wrongdoer's repentance?
Self-interest and othersWhat place should we give our own interest next to that of others?
SincerityIs it sometimes permissible to lie for someone else's good?
Nature of loveWhat lies at the heart of love: a lack, a gift, or something else?
Morals
Moral circleTo whom do we owe moral consideration?
Moral demandingnessHow much does morality demand of us?
Letter or spirit of the ruleShould rules be applied to the letter or according to their spirit?
Criterion of right actionWhat makes an action morally good?
Status of norms (metaethics)Do moral norms hold for everyone, everywhere, and always?
The source of moralityWhat gives morality its authority?
Moral responsibilityShould we assign blame and credit?
Power and justice
Distributive justiceHow should wealth and resources be distributed in society?
Law and conscienceCan it be right to disobey the law?
The meaning of punishmentWhy punish: to repay the wrong, to deter, or to rehabilitate?
ViolenceCan violence be legitimate?
Political libertyWhat is it to be politically free?
Relation to authorityIs a political authority that commands and coerces necessary, or should we free ourselves from it?
Who should decideDo political decisions belong to everyone, or first to the most competent?
Nature of rightsWhere do rights come from?
Society and history
Tradition and transformationShould we preserve the legacy of our institutions, or transform society in the name of progress?
BelongingWhere does our belonging lie first: with our own community, or with humanity as a whole?
Ideal and realityShould politics aim at the ideal city, or work with human beings as they are?
Individual and societyTo understand social life, should we start from individuals or from the social whole?
Social identityAre categories like gender, race or class natural, constructed, or objective social realities?
The meaning of historyDoes human history follow a direction, or is it sheer contingency?
The origin of the social bondDoes society rest on an agreement between individuals, or on a community that precedes them?
Relation to the worldWhat there is
Work and technology
Relation to technologyDoes technological progress improve the human condition?
Meaning of workDoes work fulfill us, alienate us, or is it merely a necessity?
Nature and the living
Vision of humanityAre human beings fundamentally good or inclined toward evil?
Future generationsDo we have duties toward future generations?
Humanity's place in natureWhat place should human beings hold in nature: master, guardian, or simply one member among others?
Being and becomingIs the real, at bottom, what endures or what becomes?
Explaining natureHow should natural phenomena be explained: by mechanisms, by purposes, or by a vital impulse?
Nature and cultureAre human behaviors explained primarily by nature or by culture?
Wholes and partsCan a whole be fully explained by its parts, or does it have irreducible properties?
Mind and consciousness
Status of emotionsAre emotions an obstacle to thought or a source of knowledge?
Can a machine thinkCould a machine ever truly think?
Nature of realityWhat is reality made of: matter, mind, or both?
The enigma of consciousnessCan a science of the brain fully explain lived experience?
Aesthetics
Beauty in lifeIs beauty at the heart of a flourishing life, or a secondary luxury next to ethics and usefulness?
BeautyIs beauty in things themselves or in the eye of the beholder?
Purpose of artWhat is art for: to give pleasure, to reveal truth, or to transform the world?
Hierarchy of tastesAre some aesthetic pleasures higher than others, or is every hierarchy of taste a social construction?
Nature of artDoes art imitate reality, or does it create something radically new?
Philosophy of religion
Existence of GodDoes God exist?
Faith and reasonHow do faith and reason relate to each other: agreement, conflict, or indifference?
The problem of evilIs evil compatible with a good and all-powerful God?
Where the sacred residesDoes the sacred reside in this very world, or in a beyond that surpasses it?