Speaking Game

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Instructions:
1) Throw the dice twice and go to the square. The number in the square represents a category
of questions.
2) Choose a number from x to x.
3) The teacher will read the question for you.
4) Talk for at least 1 minute on the topic. Your partner should ask at 2 follow-up questions.
Sumário
1 Movie...........................................................................................................................................3
2 Book.............................................................................................................................................3
3 Music...........................................................................................................................................3
4 App...............................................................................................................................................4
5 Phone..........................................................................................................................................4
6 Sports..........................................................................................................................................4
7 Restaurant...................................................................................................................................5
8 Travel...........................................................................................................................................5
9 Technology...................................................................................................................................5
10 Clothes/Fashion.........................................................................................................................6
11 Goals..........................................................................................................................................6
12 Seasons.....................................................................................................................................6
13 Holiday.......................................................................................................................................7
14 Education...................................................................................................................................7
15 Food...........................................................................................................................................7
16 Weird.........................................................................................................................................8
17 Beauty........................................................................................................................................8
18 Challenges.................................................................................................................................8
19 Dieting........................................................................................................................................9
20 Family........................................................................................................................................9
21 Friendship................................................................................................................................10
22 Gift...........................................................................................................................................10
23 Journalism...............................................................................................................................10
24 Personality...............................................................................................................................11
25 Space.......................................................................................................................................11
26 Success and Failure................................................................................................................11
27 Human Nature Questions........................................................................................................12
28 Society, culture and the World.................................................................................................12
29 Life and death..........................................................................................................................13
30 Future of the human race........................................................................................................13
31 Emotions.................................................................................................................................14
32 Universe and reality.................................................................................................................14
33 Human mind, consciousness, and intelligence.......................................................................14
34 Ethics and morality..................................................................................................................15
35 Society and government..........................................................................................................17
36 Science and technology..........................................................................................................18

The questions are in the computer, in a file named Conversation – Throw the dice game, in
the folder Speaking.
1 Movie

 What was the last movie you watched? How was it?
 Do you prefer to watch movies in the theater or in the comfort of your own home?
 What’s the worst movie you have seen recently?
 What’s the strangest movie you have ever seen?
 What is the most overrated movie?
 What’s your favorite genre of movie?
 What movie scene choked you up the most?
 Do you like documentaries? Why / why not?
 When was the last time you went to a movie theater?
 Do movies have the same power as books to change the world?
 Which do you prefer? Books or movies?
 Do you like horror movies? Why or why not?

2 Book

 What was the last book you read?

 What book has had the biggest impact on your life?
 What was your favorite book as a child?
 Do you prefer physical books or e-books?
 What is the longest book you have read?
 What was the worst book you had to read for school? How about the best book you had
to read for school?
 What book genres do you like to read?
 Do you prefer fiction or nonfiction books?
 What book has influenced you the most?
 What book has had the biggest effect on the modern world?
 Do you think people read more or less books now than 50 years ago?
 How fast do you read?
 How often do you go to the library?
 Now that indie publishing has become easier, have books gotten better or worse?

3 Music

 What song always puts you in a good mood?

 Which do you prefer, popular music or relatively unknown music?
 What was the last song you listened to?
 What is your favorite movie soundtrack?
 Are there any songs that always bring a tear to your eye?
 Do you like going to concerts? Why or why not? What was the last concert you went to?
 Who was the first band or musician you were really into? Do you still like them?
 Records, tapes, CDs, MP3s. Which did you grow up with? What is good and bad about
each?
 What bands or types of music do you listen to when you exercise?
 Do you like classical music?
 What’s the best way to discover new music?
 How has technology changed the music industry?
4 App

 What are the three best apps on your phone?

 What’s the most addictive mobile game you have played?
 An app mysteriously appears on your phone that does something amazing. What does it
do?
 How many apps do you have on your phone?
 What is the most annoying app you have tried?
 Which app seemed like magic the first time you used it?
 What is the strangest app you have heard of or tried?
 Which app has helped society the most? Which one has hurt society the most?
 What is the most useful app on your phone?
 What apps have changed your life a lot?
 What do app makers do that really annoys you?

5 Phone

 How often do you check your phone?

 Do you always have to have the latest phone?
 What was your first smart phone? How did you feel when you got it?
 What is the most annoying thing about your phone?
 What kind of case do you have for your phone? Why did you choose it?
 Do you text more or call more? Why?
 What will phones be like in 10 years?
 Do you experience phantom vibration? (Feeling your phone vibrate even though it didn’t.)
 How do you feel if you accidentally leave your phone at home?
 What do you wish your phone could do?

6 Sports

 What sports do you like to watch?

 Who are some of your favorite athletes?
 Which sports do you like to play?
 Which sport is the most exciting to watch? Which is the most boring to watch?
 Do athletes deserve the high salaries they receive? Why or why not?
 What is the hardest sport to excel at?
 Who are the 3 greatest athletes of all time?
 What defines a sport? Is fishing a sport? How about video game tournaments?
 Why do you think sports are common across almost all cultures present and past?
 What do you think the oldest sport still being played is?
 How much time do you spend watching sports in a week?
 Do you play sports video games? Which ones? Is playing the video game or sport more
fun? Why?
7 Restaurant

 What is the worst restaurant you have ever eaten at?

 What restaurant do you eat at most?
 What’s the worst fast food restaurant?
 What is the best restaurant in your area?
 Would you eat at a restaurant that was really dirty if the food was amazing?
 What kind of interior do you like a restaurant to have?
 If you opened a restaurant, what kind of food would you serve?
 What was your favorite restaurant when you were in university? How about when you
were a child?
 What is the strangest themed restaurant you have heard of?
 What is the fanciest restaurant you have eaten at?
 What is the most disgusting thing you have heard about that happened at a restaurant?

8 Travel

 Have you traveled to any different countries? Which ones?

 Where is the most relaxing place you have been?
 Where is the most awe inspiring place you have been?
 Do you prefer traveling alone or with a group?
 What do you think of tour group packages?
 Talk about some of the interesting people you have met while traveling.
 Where would you like to travel next?
 What was the most over hyped place you’ve traveled to?
 What’s the best way to travel? (Plane, car, train, etc.)
 What’s the best thing about traveling? How about the worst thing?
 How do you think traveling to a lot of different countries changes a person?
 What is the longest plane trip you have taken?
 What do you think of stay-cations? (Vacationing and seeing tourist attractions where you
live.)
 Do you prefer to go off the beaten path when you travel?
 Where do you get your recommendations for what to do and where to stay when you
travel?
 What is the worst hotel you have stayed at? How about the best hotel?

9 Technology

 What is your favorite piece of technology that you own?

 What piece of technology is really frustrating to use?
 What was the best invention of the last 50 years?
 Does technology simplify life or make it more complicated?
 Which emerging technology are you most excited about?
 What problems will technology solve in the next 5 years? What problems will it create?
 Will technology save the human race or destroy it?
 What piece of technology would look like magic or a miracle to people in medieval
Europe?
 Can you think of any technology that has only made the world worse? How about a piece
of technology that has only made the world better?
  What technology from a science fiction movie would you most like to have?
 What scifi movie or book would you like the future to be like?
 What do you think the next big technological advance will be?

10 Clothes/Fashion

 Do you care about fashion? What style of clothes do you usually wear?
 What is the best pair of shoes you have ever owned? Why were they so good?
 What is your favorite shirt?
 What is the most embarrassing piece of clothing you own?
 Does fashion help society in any way?
 What is a fashion trend you are really glad went away?
 Who do you think has the biggest impact on fashion trends: actors and actresses,
musicians, fashion designers, or consumers?
 What old trend is coming back these days?
 If you didn’t care at all what people thought of you, what clothes would you wear?
 What is the most comfortable piece of clothing you own?
 How do clothes change how the opposite sex views a person?

11 Goals

 What is the craziest, most outrageous thing you want to achieve?

 What are some goals you have already achieved?
 What personal goals do you have?
 What do you hope to achieve in your professional life?
 Have your parents influenced what goals you have?
 Do you usually achieve goals you set? Why or why not?
 What is the best way to stay motivated and complete goals?
 What are some goals you have failed to accomplish?
 When do you want to retire? What do you want to do when you retire?
 What are your goals for the next two years?
 How have your goals changed over your life?
 How much do you plan for the future?
 How do you plan to make the world a better place?

12 Seasons

 What’s the most refreshing thing on a hot summer day?

 What’s the best thing to do on a cold winter day?
 Where is the nicest place you have been to in fall?
 What is your favorite thing to eat or drink in winter?
 Do you prefer summer or winter activities?
 What do you like to do in spring?
 Did your family take seasonal vacations?
 Do you feel like fall and spring are getting shorter?
 Which season are you most active in?
 Is it better to live where there are four seasons or where one season takes up most of the
year?
13 Holiday

 If you could make a holiday, what would it be like? What traditions would it have? What
would people eat on your holiday?
 What is the biggest holiday for your family?
 Do you wish there were more or less holidays? Why?
 If you had to get rid of a holiday, which would you get rid of? Why?
 What is your favorite holiday?
 What kinds of food do you usually eat on your favorite holiday?
 Does having a day off for a holiday increase or decrease productivity at work?
 What holidays have been over commercialized?
 If some of the lesser known holidays were commercialized, what would the
commercialization look like?
 What do you know about the history of some holidays?
 Another fun thing you can do is talk about holiday related trivia and facts. Here are
some Christmas trivia questions, Halloween trivia questions, and some Thanksgiving
trivia questions.

14 Education

 What are some good and bad things about the education system in your country?
 What do you think of online education?
 How can governments make education more efficient?
 What do you think of standardized tests?
 How can technology improve education? Can it hurt education?
 Are bigger or small schools better?
 Is teaching a skill that can be taught?
 What will the future of education be?
 What do you think of homeschooling?
 How has the education you received changed your life?
 What or who has taught you most of the information you use on a regular basis?

15 Food

 What is your favorite food?

 Do you like spicy food? Why or why not? What is the spiciest thing you have ever eaten?
 What foods do you absolutely hate?
 What food do you know you shouldn’t eat but can’t help yourself?
 Does government have a place in regulating food? To what extent should government
regulate food?
 When was the last time you had a food fight?
 What do you get every time you go grocery shopping?
 If your life was a meal, what would kind of meal would it be?
 What do you think of buffets?
 What would you want your last meal to be if you were on death row?
 What food looks disgusting but tastes delicious?
  When people make mistakes about food (especially foreign food) do you feel the need to
correct them? (i.e. sushi / sashimi or stromboli / calzone)

16 Weird

 Time freezes for everyone but you for one day. What do you do?
 If you could call up anyone in the world and have a one hour conversation, who would
you call?
 You have to relive one day of your life forever. Which day do you choose?
 If your mind was an island, what would it look like?
 What flavor of ice cream do you wish existed?
 What does your own personal hell look like? How about your own personal heaven?
 A portal to another world opens in front of you. You don’t know how long it will stay open
or if you’ll be able to get back after you go through. What do you do?
 If you had a personal mascot, what would your mascot be?
 You find a remote that can rewind, fast forward, stop and start time. What do you do with
it?
 If you were a king / queen, what would your throne look like?
 If you were on the run from the police for a crime you didn’t commit, where would you
go?

17 Beauty

 Beauty is all around us, and strangely we probably couldn’t live without it. But can beauty
be defined? Maybe or maybe not, but at least you can explore the idea of beauty by
having a discussion with these conversation questions about beauty.
 How have standards of beauty changed over the years?
 What makes a person beautiful to you?
 Can products be beautiful? What makes a product beautiful? What is the most beautiful
product you own?
 Where is the most beautiful place you have been?
 Why do humans find things other than humans beautiful? How does it help us?
 What is the most beautiful song you have heard?
 What features make a natural area beautiful?
 What makes a piece of art beautiful to you?
 Are there any striking examples of beauty in art?
 How does the absence of beauty affect people?
 What is the most beautiful thing in your life?
 Is beauty only in the eye of the beholder, or can we say some things are universally
beautiful?

18 Challenges

 Time to talk about some of the challenges you have faced and that others have faced.
We all face challenges, some more than others. Find out more about the challenges that
friends and family have faced with these conversation questions.
 What are some of the biggest challenges you have faced?
 Do you enjoy overcoming challenges or do you prefer things to be easy? Why?
  What is a challenge you would never want to face?
 Do you think living in the present is more or less challenging than living in the past?
Why?
 What is the most challenging job you can think of?
 Do you think that challenges improve a person’s character?
 What is the biggest challenge you are facing right now?
 What was the most challenging thing about your childhood?
 What are some big challenges that people have overcome that you have heard of?
 What are the biggest challenges your country is facing right now?
 Do you think that the challenges you have faced over your life have made you a better or
worse person?

19 Dieting

 Dieting is a pain. But even though it’s a pain, it’s incredibly common and fuels a multi-
billion dollar industry. If you haven’t tried dieting, most of your friends probably have.
So here are some questions about dieting, enjoy!
 What is the craziest diet you’ve heard of?
 What diets have you tried?
 Is dieting healthy or unhealthy?
 What diets are popular now?
 Is dieting an effective way to lose weight and keep it off?
 Why do you think there are so many diet trends?
 For most of history dieting to lose weight would have seemed insane. Is it a victory or a
failure for our society that we have progressed to the point were we have so much food
that dieting is a multi-billion dollar industry?
 Do you know anyone who has lost a lot of weight on a diet? Have they keep the weight
off?
 Should businesses be allowed to make losing weight mandatory for employees who are
costing the business money in missed days due to weight related health issues?
 Will there ever be a miracle weight loss solution?

20 Family

 You can pick your friends but for better or for worse you can’t pick your family. Take a
look at some questions about your family and families in society. Just be sure to keep it
civil, I don’t want to be blamed for any family arguments.
 Who in your family are you most like?
 Who is the most generous person in your family?
 Do you like going to family gatherings? Why or why not?
 How often do you see your parents? How about your extended family?
 Have you ever been to any large family reunions? How did it go?
 How important are strong family ties to you? Are strong family ties more or less important
that close friendships?
 How have family roles changed from the past?
 Who is the most interesting person in your extended family?
 What would growing up in an ideal family environment look like? Do you think that
anyone grew up in an ideal family environment?
 How has your family shaped your personality and who you turned out to be?
 What is the best and worst thing about your family or extended family?
21 Friendship

 Friendship one of the most important things to have for a fulfilling life. It’s definitely hard
to put a price on a good friend. Have a conversation about friendship using these
questions about your friends and friendship in general.
 What quality do you value most in your friends?
 Are any of your friends completely opposite to you or are most of them similar to you?
 Do you make friends easily or do you find it difficult to make new friends?
 What are the most common reasons for friendships to fall apart?
 Who is your strangest friend? What makes them strange?
 Are you a good friend? Why or why not?
 What is the best way to meet new friends?
 What separates true friends from acquaintances?
 Who is your oldest friend? How did you meet them?
 What’s a big favor you have done for a friend? How about a big favor that a friend has
done for you?
 What is the most annoying type of friend?

22 Gift

 Everyone loves giving and receiving gifts. It’s one of those things that is common across
all cultures. So here is my gift to you, I hope you enjoy these conversation questions
about gifts!
 Have you ever received a strange gift? What was it?
 Who in your family gives good gifts? How about bad gifts?
 What is a creative gift you have given or received?
 Does it matter how a gift is wrapped or is it only the gift that matters?
 Is gift giving common among all human cultures? Why?
 Can you think of any examples of animals giving gifts?
 Do you enjoy shopping for gifts? Why or why not?
 Do you prefer to receive money or a gift? Why?
 What do you think of homemade gifts?
 Is it really only the thought that counts?

23 Journalism

 Journalism helps shape how people view the world and can make or break the careers of
those in the public eye. Here are some great questions delving into journalism,
journalists, and the future of journalism. Enjoy!
 Is journalism dying or becoming more important?
 How do journalists serve society? Are they doing a good job of serving society now?
 Is being a journalist a respectable job?
 What platform will the next generation of journalists use?
 How much legal protection should journalists have?
 What kinds of corruption are found in journalism?
 Now anyone can be a journalist. Is this a good or bad thing? Why?
 What characteristics are important for a journalist to have?
  How can journalism be improved?
 How accountable should journalists be to making sure the news they are reporting is
accurate? Should they be jailed for falsifying the news or reporting misleading news?

24 Personality

 Our personalities are what the outside world uses to judge us and they greatly influence
our interactions with others. So isn’t it worthwhile to have a conversation about
something that holds so much sway over our lives?
 How would you describe your personality? How would other people describe your
personality, the same or different?
 What is the best aspect of your personality? How about the worst aspect?
 What personality traits in other people do you hate?
 What personality traits make a good leader?
 What personality trait do you wish you had?
 Can a person change their personality?
 Where do our personalities come from? How much of personality is genetic and how
much is from the environment?
 Which of your personality traits has been the most useful?
 How about the personalities of some of your friends and family? What are the good, bad,
and strange aspects of their personalities?
 What is the most annoying personality trait someone can have?

25 Space

 Now here is a big topic to get into! Space, the final frontier. The sheer vastness of space
boggles the mind but that doesn’t mean you can’t have an interesting conversation about
it! Here are some questions to get you started…
 Where would you most like to travel in space? Assuming you could go there instantly and
survive the harsh conditions.
 Do you think space tourism will be big in the near future? Why or why not?
 What is the most interesting thing you know about space?
 What is the most important thing for astronomers to be researching?
 Would you ever join a mission to colonize another planet if it meant never returning to
earth?
 What are some fun things you could do in zero-g?
 You can use these space trivia questions to start a good conversation about space as
well!

26 Success and Failure

 We all have our successes and failures. They make us who we are and are often the lens
through which people view us. Use these conversation starters to have a great
conversation about success and failure.
 What is the best criteria to measure success by?
 Are there any failures in your life you are proud of?
 What is your biggest success? How about your biggest failure?
 What are some successes you’ve had in your personal life?
  What are some failures you’ve had in your professional life?
 What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned from a failure?
 Have you ever turned a failure into a win?
 Do you usually learn from your failures or do you keep repeating them?
 Who is the most successful person you know of? How about the most successful person
you know personally?
 What is the most recent success you’ve had?
 What is the next big success you are working towards?

27 Human Nature Questions

 Is human nature constant or is it molded by culture? Can human nature be completely

changed by culture or society?
 Are humans better at creation or destruction?
 What are the best and worst parts of human nature?
 If pressing a button meant you received 5 million dollars but it also killed 5 people
somewhere in the world, would you press it? What if it killed only 1 person or killed 20
people? What if the people were people you knew?
 If you had to sum up the whole human species in 3 words, what would those words be?
 What aspects of humans have made us a successful species?
 Is what we perceive reality or just a construct of our minds? Can our minds correctly
interpret reality or is reality subjective?
 What is the best way to explore human nature: psychology, philosophy, or biology?
 Is tribalism and people separating themselves into “us” and “them” groups, a learned or
genetic trait? Can it be overcome? If so, how?
 How does tribalism and creating in groups and out groups (e.g. race, religion, sport team
fans, people with a hobby, etc.) help and hurt society?
 What makes people believe absurd conspiracy theories?
 What’s something terrifying that we’ve all come to accept as a fact of life?

28 Society, culture and the World

 Should governments make laws to protect people from hurting themselves?

 What is the most uplifting thing happening in the world right now? What is the most tragic
thing?
 What does honor mean to you? How important is it to you? Does your culture value
honor? What exemplifies honor in your culture?
 How important are morals in a healthy society? What are the most important morals for
citizens to have?
 In the distant past, a person’s life was very similar to their grandparents’ and
grandchildren’s lives. How has the rapid pace of technological advancement changed
society?
 What is a miracle that happens every day?
 How important is freedom of the press to a healthy society?
 What are the most important factors in maintaining a well functioning society? What does
it mean for a society to function well?
 Should the government be involved in making laws to regulate moral behavior? If so, to
what extent?
  With the invention of the internet and the advent of big data and crowd sourcing, it’s
finally possible for citizens to govern themselves directly. Is it a good idea for the masses
to directly govern themselves or is governance something better left to professional
politicians?
 What is the purpose of art in society?
 Do people have an obligation to help others or should people be responsible for helping
themselves?
 Can people with vastly different cultural backgrounds live together peacefully? How?
 What would be different if the 9/11 terrorist attack never occurred?
 What would a perfect city be like?

29 Life and death

 What is a year of life worth? How about a day?

 What is the purpose of a human life?
 If sacrificing your own life would save the lives of a specific number of strangers, how
many strangers would need to be saved for you to sacrifice your own life? What if the
people were friends? How about family?
 If you died today, how would you be remembered?
 Are some lives more valuable than others?
 What does the ideal life look like?
 What does it mean to die well?
 How would you like to die? Comfortably in bed surrounded by family, doing something
you love, or some other way?
 Who do you know who is living life to the fullest?
 If you were given an envelope with the the time and date of your death inside, would you
open it?
 If you died today, what regrets would you have about your life?
 Is taking a life ever justified? If so, where is the line? When is a person’s life considered
forfeit?

30 Future of the human race

 What do you think about the singularity? The idea that eventually artificial intelligence will
advance to the point where computers are more intelligent than humans.
 What are the pros and cons of colonizing other planets? How could this help or hurt the
human race?
 What is most likely to bring about the extinction of the human race? How can it be
avoided?
 Will humans as a species ever be able to work together as a whole to achieve a goal?
What is holding humans back from working together on a global scale?
 Will humanity continue to advance technologically or will we fall back to how we lived for
thousands of years or fall back further to how we lived for a hundred thousand years
ago?
 What would be the best possible scenario for how the world will develop in the next 25
years? What do we need to do to get there?
31 Emotions

 Do animals experience emotions? If so, do they experience emotions in the same way
humans do? If not, how do they experience the world and what dictates their behavior?
 How are emotions useful for humans and the human race?
 Are emotions necessary for human survival? Why or why not?
 What is the most beneficial emotion? How about the most destructive?
 Do people have a right to be happy or should they have to earn it?

32 Universe and reality

 What do you think existed before the universe was created?

 Is math something that humans created or something we discovered? Is looking at reality
mathematically an accurate representation of how things work?
 Is it possible for a human to fathom the true depths of reality and existence?
 If the universe is finite, what would beyond the edge of the universe be like?
 What is the best path to find truth; science, math, art, philosophy, or something else?
 As more and more is being discovered about quantum physics, we become less and less
able to comprehend the nature of reality. Is this something temporary and our minds will
adapt and begin to understand this new reality or is it possible that the human mind will
soon reach its limits of comprehension? If it’s only temporary, is there is a limit to what
the human mind can comprehend? If we are reaching our limits, how do we continue to
study our reality?
 Is there inherent order in nature or is it all chaos and chance?
 What in life is truly objective and not subjective?
 There has always been something. Before there was something, there was only nothing.
Which do you think is more likely?

33 Human mind, consciousness, and intelligence

 Is happiness just chemicals flowing through your brain or something more?

 Why are humans so susceptible to magical thinking?
 If every neuron in a human was accurately simulated in a computer, would it result in
human consciousness?
 Is it possible that some animals are self-aware and think about their ability to think?
 How do you define consciousness?
 Is it possible to prove that other people besides yourself have consciousness?
 How conscious do you think animals are?
 Assuming evolution is correct, do you think that if humans went extinct another species
as intelligent as humans would evolve? If life exists long enough on a planet, is
intelligence and consciousness inevitable?
 Would it be more frightening to discover that humans are the most advanced species in
the universe or that we are far from being the most advanced species in the universe?
 How would you define genius?
 There is zero chance that ALL your firmly and dearly held beliefs are true. So, which of
your beliefs are most likely to be wrong and which are most liable to be true?
 How much does language affect our thinking?
 Why are humans so confident in beliefs that can’t be proven?
 If all your memories were erased, what kind of person would you be?
  Why do humans have such a strong urge to distract ourselves from the real world?
 What is the benefit of consciousness from an evolutionary stand point?
 Is the concept of “you” continuous or does past “you” continually fade into present and
future “you”? In other words, what part of “you” sticks around over time considering that
the atoms that make up your body are constantly being replaced and your memories are
always changing?
 Is it possible that someone’s genes might affect their political leanings? If no, why not? If
so, what would be the ramifications?
 Can rational thought exist without language?
 Would selectively breeding an animal such as a dog based on intelligence, increase its
intelligence over time? If so, how intelligent could dogs become? If not, how does
intelligence emerge in a species?
 Are there limits to human creativity?
 Why do we resist doing things that we know are good for our well-being while craving
things that are detrimental to our well-being?
 Is it be possible for humans to create something completely novel and new that is based
on nothing that previously existed? Or is human creativity just rearranging and building
on previous ideas?
 If there existed a perfect clone of you, would it also be you? Would it act in exactly the
same manner as you (like a mirror) or would it act differently? If it acted differently then
would it still be you? At what point would it not be you?
 Would you be able to tell if time had been altered in some way?
 Your perception of the world is just what your brain constructs for you from the signals
sent by your senses. Plus, there is a slight delay, so you aren’t even experiencing the
simulation in real time. What would it be like if humans could perceive what the world is
actually like and do it in real time? Also, what are the ramifications of every single
person’s reality being a little different and unique to them?
 If language influences how we perceive color, what other things could languages be
changing our perception of?
 Is a sense of humor a byproduct of consciousness or something else entirely?
 Are intelligence and happiness tied together in any way? If you are highly intelligent, is it
more likely that you’ll be more, or less happy?
 Human memory has been shown to be incredibly unreliable. With that in mind, how do
you know which of your memories are genuine and which have been altered or made
up?
 Different people and different organisms perceive reality in vastly different ways. With
that in mind, what is real and what is just our perception of reality? Or does every
organism live in its own personal reality?

34 Ethics and morality

 When, if ever, is taking a human life justified?

 Can animals have morals?
 Without religion would people become more, less, or be equally morally corrupt?
 If humanity was put on trial by an advanced race of aliens, how would you defend
humanity and argue for its continued existence?
 What rights does every human have? Do those rights change based on age?
 Do animals have rights and do those rights extend to all animals or do the rights change
based on the complexity of the animal?
 Is justice a human construct or is it independent of humans?
 Why do people expect a universe full of randomness to be fair?
 With no laws or rules to influence your behavior, how do you think you would behave?
 What’s the difference between justice and revenge?
 If it was discovered that personality traits were partly genetic and could be removed with
gene therapy, would it be ethical to edit out negative character traits that harm others like
extreme aggression, compulsive lying, or cruelty?
 If you could press a button and receive a million dollars, but one stranger would die,
would you press the button? And if so, how many times?
 What would be the most ethical way to give away five million dollars?
 Are people ethically obligated to improve themselves?
 Is privacy a right?
 At what point is overthrowing a government ethical, considering all the violence a
revolution usually entails?
 Can morality ever be objective or is it always subjective? If it can be objective, in what
instances? If it’s always subjective, how do we decide whose concept of morality is
correct?
 Are intentions or outcomes more important when judging whether actions are moral?
 Should there be limitations on the right to free speech?
 If it was discovered that most animals were conscious of their existence and eventual
death, what would be the ramifications of that discovery?
 Should euthanasia be legal? Why or why not?
 If scientists could accurately predict who was more likely to commit crimes, what should
society do with that information?
 Do business owners have the right to refuse service to customers?
 If babies are considered innocent, when do people cease to be innocent?
 Why do humans often associate beauty with morality?
 If you can save another’s life and don’t because doing so would break the law, are you
ethically justified in your decision?
 Are all individuals morally obligated to save another person’s life if they are able? What if
that person lives in another country?
 Is it just and right to deny entry to a country when doing so probably means death for the
immigrant and their family?
 Should we terraform planets if it means that we may be destroying undiscovered
microscopic alien life?
 Does anonymity encourage people to misbehave or does it reveal how people would
choose to act all the time if they could?
 What is the most fertile soil for hatred? Fear, ignorance, jealousy, or something else
entirely? Is it possible that some people are genetically predisposed to hatred?
 If doing something good for others makes us feel good, can there ever be such a thing as
pure altruism?
 What is your definition of evil?
 Do all people have equal value regardless of their actions or is a person’s value based on
their actions?
 Why are humans so fascinated by mass murderers if their actions are universally
considered evil and vile?
 As people, we feel our moral obligation weaken with physical as well as emotional
distance from individuals in need. For example, you’re more likely to help someone dying
of hunger at your feet than someone dying of hunger in another country. How does this
human trait of morality dependent on distance shape our world?
 If I steal a loaf of bread from you and eat it, when does the bread itself cease to be yours
and becomes mine?
 How much effort should an individual put into not offending others?
35 Society and government

 If you could start a country from scratch, what would it be like?

 Would a government run with algorithms, A.I., and statistics be better or worse than the
government we have now?
 Would the world be a better or worse place if everyone looked the same?
 What causes the most harm in the world, but is completely avoidable?
 How far should governments go to prevent its citizens from causing harm to themselves?
 Do people in wealthier countries have a moral obligation to help those in poorer
countries?
 What should the role of a government be, what boundaries and limitations should it
have?
 Is poverty in society inevitable?
 How should we measure the productivity of a society?
 What would a utopia be like, how would it function and continue to exist?
 Do you think there will ever be a global government? If a world government did come to
power, assuming it wasn’t particularly cruel or evil, would it be a good or bad thing?
 What is the biggest threat to the social contract in our country?
 Is it more or less difficult to be successful in the modern world than it was in the past (10,
50, 100, or 1,000 years ago)?
 Could societies exist without a way to transfer value (i.e. without money or a barter
system)?
 What would happen if a maximum income of was implemented?
 What will the economy of wealthy countries look like in 50 to 100 years?
 What do you think the long-term effects of so many people being glued to their screens
will be?
 If all humans want the same basic things, why is there so much violence and strife
between people?
 Is the human tendency to create groups an overall positive or a negative trait in terms of
general human flourishing?
 What would happen to a society in which no one had to work, and everyone was
provided enough food/water/shelter/healthcare for free?
 Is the cultural trend of individualism and the rejection of collectivism a beneficial or
detrimental trend?
 Considering that the technology exists to enable a real democracy, would a true
democracy (every single person can vote on every single legislation) be advantageous or
detrimental?
 If everyone said what they were actually thinking, what would happen to society?
 What are the benefits and drawbacks of diversity in society?
 Under our government are there any rights that you have but shouldn’t? How about rights
you don’t have but should?
 What is the most important right our government allows for?
 Has social media been a net positive or a net negative for our society? Why?
 How would society change if men were able to get pregnant and men and women both
had an equal chance of getting pregnant?
 Why have many societies begun to place such a high value on emotions and being
emotional?
 Is it right or wrong that everyone seems to be accustomed to the fact that all of humanity
and most of the life on Earth could be wiped out at the whim of a handful of people?
 In an ideal government, what should a good citizen provide to their government and what
should that government provide that good citizen?
  Should tax payers have the option to explicitly say what they don’t want their tax dollars
spent on?
 Can a society exist without laws?
 Will humanity ever be able to escape tribalism and the creation of in and out groups?
Should it?
 How much privacy are you willing to sacrifice for safety?
 How would the world change if there was an accurate measure of aptitude?
 Is hierarchy necessary for all successful human communities?
 Is some degree of censorship necessary?
 What are the biggest moral dilemmas your country is facing now?
 Was the agricultural revolution and the explosion of civilizations that came from it an
overall good thing for humans or a negative? In other words, would it have been better or
worse for people to stay in small tribes?
 What will be/are some of the by-products to society of everyone having the ability to take
pictures or a video at any time?
 Does marriage as an institution need to be updated or is it fine how it is?
 If you were given the ability to reform how your country’s leaders were chosen and how
they serve, what would you change?

36 Science and technology

 At what point is a technologically enhanced human not a human anymore?

 Does the modern age make global conspiracies more or less feasible?
 Is technological advancement a net positive or a net negative?
 Is technological progress inevitable as long as humans exist or can it be stopped?
 Is true artificial intelligence possible with our current technology and methods of
programming?
 What scientific breakthrough would have the biggest effect on humanity?
 Why did technology progress more slowly in the past than it does now?
 Will we keep leaping to even greater technological and scientific breakthroughs that
radically change society, or will the rate of progress slow and humanity’s progress be
limited to incremental improvements?
 If a robust and cheap genetic engineering industry existed, would you have your genes
edited? If so, what genetic changes would you choose to make? If not, why not?
 Assume that in the future there will be huge leaps in human augmentation. Given a scale
from completely human to completely machine, how far would you choose to augment
yourself with robotics? What parts would you augment and why?
 If the transporters in Star Trek existed and you used it, your particles would be
disassembled and then reassembled, do you die every single time? Are you ever alive at
two places at once? Are you ever completely dead?
 Should full access to the internet be a fundamental human right?
 Has the invention of the atomic bomb made the world a more peaceful place?
 Do you think the singularity will occur? If so, what time frame do you think it will happen
in?
 If emotions are the product of biochemical reactions, then in the future we will be
theoretically able to control them. If we could control emotions through technology,
should we?
Is there a limit to what humans can create through technology and science?