Twelve Enduring Questions
The questions that intrigue me most.
I’ve always seen myself as someone who truly loves learning. But for me, learning isn’t just about mastering a subject or acquiring a skill—it’s driven by a deep curiosity to understand the questions that intrigue me most.
At different stages of my life, I often write down the questions I care most about and use them as a compass to guide what I read and study. These questions change as I do, but some of them have stayed with me through every phase of life—questions that continue to fascinate me no matter how much I grow, and that I always wish I had more time to explore.
Here are twelve of those enduring questions.
Knowledge and Reality
How we understand the world and ourselves.
- What is knowledge, and how has the standard of knowledge changed over time?
- How does modern theoretical physics understand the universe?
- What are the origins of life and complex structures?
Mathematics and Intelligence
The logic, power, and limits of abstract thought and AI.
- How did modern mathematics become so abstract, and what is it ultimately pursuing?
- What are intelligence and consciousness, and how can we mathematically characterize the power and limits of intelligence and modern AI?
- What major historical milestones paved the way for achieving artificial superintelligence?
Technology and Progress
Advancing human capability through energy and health.
- How close are we to achieving abundant energy, and what are the major challenges?
- How close are we to curing all diseases, and what are the major challenges?
- What is the next major technological platform shift, and how will it happen?
Society and History
How human systems evolve and shape the world.
- How does money function and shape the modern economy?
- How have social and economic structures adapted to each industrial revolution?
- How has the history of the modern era shaped today’s global order and conflicts?