The great questions
Themes
Past
The eternal questions that founded philosophy.
Truth
What is truth, and can we truly reach it?
Debated 1 time
Justice
What is justice: a natural order, a contract, or a relation of force?
Not yet debated
The soul
Is there a soul distinct from the body?
Not yet debated
The meaning of life
Does life have a meaning, or must we create one?
Not yet debated
Universal morality
Is there a morality valid for all human beings?
Not yet debated
The existence of God
Does God exist? And if so, what difference does it make to us?
Not yet debated
The formation of the planets
How did the planets come into being — the work of chance, necessity, or a divine architect?
Not yet debated
The origin of the universe
Did the cosmos have a beginning, and what, if anything, came before it?
Not yet debated
The birth of consciousness
How did awareness awaken within matter, and when does a creature truly feel?
Not yet debated
The origin of language
How did human language come into being, and do we think with words or before them?
Not yet debated
The birth of civilization
What drew humanity from wandering bands to cities, laws, and writing — necessity, ambition, or temptation?
Not yet debated
The age of the world
Is the world ancient and unchanging, or young and ever-changing? How do we know the difference?
Not yet debated
The origin of evil
If the world is good, where does evil come from? Is it a privation, a necessity, or a choice?
Not yet debated
The emergence of humankind
Is the human being the summit of creation, or one branch among many shaped by the same forces?
Not yet debated
The formation of organic matter
How did inert matter give rise to organic life? Blind chemistry, or a spark of purpose?
Not yet debated
The Claims of Forgotten Wrongs
If every trace of an ancient injustice vanished, would the past still make a moral claim on the present—and who could inherit a duty that no one could remember?
Debated 1 time · original Agora topic
Present
The anxieties of our time.
AI and consciousness
Can an artificial intelligence be conscious?
Not yet debated
Democracy and power
Is contemporary democracy rule by the people or a mask for new elites?
Not yet debated
Capitalism and inequality
Is capitalism compatible with a just society?
Not yet debated
War and human nature
Is war inscribed in human nature?
Not yet debated
Climate crisis
Do we have duties towards future generations and towards nature?
Not yet debated
Social media and freedom
Do social media make us freer or more manipulable?
Not yet debated
The crisis of modern society
Why does modern society, though wealthy, produce so much restlessness?
Not yet debated
Future
What awaits us beyond the human horizon.
Digital immortality
Would uploading a mind to a computer mean surviving?
Not yet debated
Artificial consciousness
If we created an artificial consciousness, would we have duties towards it?
Not yet debated
Human evolution
Should humanity steer its own biological evolution?
Not yet debated
Transhumanism
Is overcoming human limits through technology liberation or loss of self?
Not yet debated
Space colonisation
Is colonising other planets a destiny, a right, or an escape?
Not yet debated
The future of democracy
Could algorithms and AI govern better than humans?
Not yet debated
Humans and machines
What relationship should we have with ever more intelligent machines?
Not yet debated
A new form of existence
Is humanity creating artificial intelligence, or a new form of existence that will eventually redefine what it means to be human?
Debated 1 time