In 1900, David Hilbert created a list of 23 math problems he believed would be important for other mathematicians to solve during the 20th century.

Riffing on that idea, Seth Godin proposed a new list of 23 questions—but instead of math, Godin focuses on the crises (and opportunities) confronting humankind:

1. High efficiency, sustainable method for growing sufficient food, including market-shifting replacements for animals as food.
2. High efficiency, renewable energy sources and useful batteries (cost, weight, efficiency).
3. Effective approaches to human trafficking.
4. Carbon sequestration at scale.
5. Breakthrough form for democracy in a digital age.
6. Scalable, profitable, sustainable methods for small-scale creators of intellectual property.
7. Replacement for the University.
8. Useful methods for enhancing, scaling or replacing primary education, particularly literacy.
9. Beneficial man/machine interface (post Xerox Parc).
10. Cost efficient housing at scale.
11. Useful response to urban congestion.
12. Gene therapies for obesity, cancer and chronic degenerative diseases.
13. Dramatic leaps of AI interactions with humans.
14. Alternatives to paid labor for most humans.
15. Successful interactions with intelligent species off Earth.
16. Self-cloning of organs for replacement.
17. Cultural and nation-state conflict resolution and de-escalation.
18. Dramatically new artistic methods for expression.
19. Useful enhancements to intellect and mind for individuals.
20. Shift in approach to end-of-life suffering and solutions for pain.
21. Enhanced peer-to-peer communication technologies approaching the feeling of telepathy.
22. Transmutation of matter to different elements and structures.
23. Off-planet outposts.

Maybe folks at your school won’t agree with all of these; that’s fine—let your community substitute problems it sees are more important.

By not having a list, you are making a choice—a choice not to commit to anything specific, to not be on the hook for living your mission.

On the other hand, having a list is an exciting responsibility.

How will you create the conditions for your learners to engage with the most pressing problems of our time? [1]

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[1] At Expeditionaries, students decide what matters to them and what they’re going to do about it. Registration for our Jan 2-5 Expedition is closed, but there is still time to register for our Jan 17-20 Expedition.

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