Some of these topics have already begun to be addressed in the Working Paper but most have not. Additional topics will likely be identified in the course of discussions. An important objective of this inquiry is to clarify ways in which these and other important topics might bear upon one another, perhaps and especially in ways not immediately apparent.
* Is a steady-state/zero-growth market economy in fact achievable? How would it work in practice?
* In the deepest sense, what exactly is technological innovation? Can aspects of technological innovation over time be anticipated? Are there limits to it?
* How can powerful emerging and converging technologies be evaluated and regulated, and banned outright when there is sufficient call for this?
* The 18th-century Enlightenment has been lauded and lambasted by Left, Right and Center. Why the fuss, and how does this bear on our inquiry?
* How do we decide to take or not take action today that might greatly impact human life, but in unknown ways, several hundreds of years from now?
* What moral teachings are appropriate to a world of economic justice, ecological integrity and technological responsibility? Who teaches them?
* Who are we? What is the role of identity, by class, nationality, religion, race, ethnicity or other identifier, in shaping our human future?
* What philosophical, metaphysical, theological, religious and mystical knowledge and practice might help ground a just, sustainable, flourishing world?
* Many concerns addressed in this inquiry derive from tensions between communalist and individualist values and sensibilities. Why exactly is this?
* Humans act within local, regional, national, international and global geopolitical structures. What relative emphases best support what outcomes?
* What can we ultimately know? What is the nature and role of foundational worldviews in addressing the challenges of the human future?
* Over the centuries social movements advocating simple living have arisen and have then mostly declined and disbanded. What can we learn from this?
* Humanity consumed 13 TW of energy in 2016. Studies project 60-100 TW by 2100. Is this achievalbe? If so, is it sustainable? If not, what then?
* What energy regimes, established over what temporal and geographic maps, can keep global warming from exceeding a range of levels?
* What sorts of social and political initiatives would be necessary to put discussion of and action on such topics high on the global agenda?