Social Problems

These are large-scale problems affecting significant numbers of people in a negative way.

Note that these problems are not uniformly distributed around the world. Some primarily affect developed countries, while others mostly affect less-developed countries. Some may even be specific to an individual country, such as the United States.

Note that many of these problems are the indirect result of the invention of agriculture and civilization. But we can’t realistically go back to being hunter-gatherers (as millions of years of evolution evolved us to be), so these problems will eventually need to be solved. We have expelled ourselves from our primordial Eden and there is no going back. We have no choice now but to find sustainable ways to make civilization work better.

Loneliness. Difficulty finding a compatible life partner.
Boring, meaningless, unfulfilling jobs.
Lack of fulfillment of one’s potential.
Lack of a sense that one is making a significant contribution to the world.
Depression.
Scientific overspecialization. Lack of communication across scientific disciplines, hindering the pace of discovery.
Physical, emotional, and verbal abuse of children
Physical, emotional, and verbal abuse of women
Physical, emotional, and verbal abuse of men
Poorly educated electorates
Gross disparity of wealth
Gross disparity of income
Crime: rape, murder, theft, etc.
Obesity
Global warming and climate change
Unemployment
Poverty, even when employed
Homelessness
Mental illness
Environmental degradation and pollution
Food insecurity and starvation
Discrimination (on the basis of race, sex, sexual orientation, etc.)
Excessive personal debt
Excessive collective (national) debt
Lack of critical thinking. Irrationality. Forming beliefs without evidence.
Unchecked political power. Lack of democracy.
Aging and physical deterioration.
Sexual repression, dysfunction, and pathology
Human trafficking for sex or forced labor
Drug and alcohol abuse
Industrial agriculture
Cruelty and neglect of animals
Animal euthanasia
Unwanted pregnancies
Sexually transmitted diseases
Suicide
Bullying
Illegal immigration
Politicsl corruption
Lack of education. Ignorance of science, history, and other branches of knowledge that seek to understand the world.
Lack of access to affordable healthcare.
Incurable diseases (e.g. various forms of cancer)
Cardiovascular disease
Lack of access to efficient, affordable public transportation
Ugliness
Traffic

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