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<title>Open Questions | Kris Yotam</title>
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<meta name="description" content="Some anomalies/questions which are not necessarily important, but do puzzle me or where I find existing explanations to be unsatisfying.">
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<h1>Open Questions</h1>
<div class="keepws">
(<span class="bold">notes</span>
(date 2025-05-30)
(category <a href="../../notes.html">culture</a>)
(status <span class="status-evergreen">evergreen</span>)
(confidence certain)
(importance 6)
(tags epistemology questions ideas))
</div>
<p class="preview">Some anomalies/questions which are not necessarily important, but do puzzle me or where I find existing explanations to be unsatisfying.</p>
<div class="prose">
<h2>Open Questions</h2>
<p>This is a list of questions to which I find current answers unsatisfactory.
This list is inspired by several other similar lists by the likes of
<a href="https://gwern.net/question#sociology">Gwern</a>, <a href="https://patrickcollison.com/questions">Patrick Collins</a>,
<a href="https://guzey.com/personal/research-ideas/">Alex Guzey</a>, <a href="https://samenright.com/ideas/">Sam Enright</a>, and
<a href="https://www.astralcodexten.com/p/quests-and-requests">Scott Alexander</a>. It is important to note that just because
an idea has one or several answers that does not mean that they are "satisfactory", and until a answer that is so is
provided the question will remain listed here. Questions below are organized by field, and on occassion sub-field. Such as
Mathematics > Algebraic Number Theory. Also note that I do not actively take requests on what goes here. However if shown a
interesting question/problem I feel fits, it will likely end up here.</p>
<h2>Process</h2>
<p>Questions are added to the page > solutions are identified > I create a write up named "remarks on [solution]". >
that entry is updated with the link to the remarks post and "(solved)" is added next to it.</p>
<h3>Science & Technology</h3>
<ul>
<li>What are the fundamental limits of computation?</li>
<li>How do we achieve safe artificial general intelligence?</li>
<li>What is the nature of consciousness?</li>
</ul>
<h3>Society & Economics</h3>
<ul>
<li>How do we design institutions that remain beneficial over long time horizons?</li>
<li>What are the most effective ways to reduce global poverty?</li>
<li>How do we balance individual freedom with collective welfare?</li>
</ul>
<h3>Philosophy & Meaning</h3>
<ul>
<li>What constitutes a life well-lived?</li>
<li>How do we derive meaning in an apparently meaningless universe?</li>
<li>What are our moral obligations to future generations?</li>
</ul>
<p><em>This list is continuously updated as I encounter new puzzles and resolve old ones.</em></p>
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