10 of the Hardest Questions in the THINK. Deck

Nov 8

Plenty of cards in THINK. are easy to start with. These ten are not.

They're the ones that make a table go quiet for a second: questions about faith, money, freedom, family and what we owe people we'll never meet. None of them has a safe answer. Every card has three Deep Dive follow-ups on the back, and that's usually where people change their minds.

Here's the front and back of each, exactly as it's printed.

Who I am: I'm a former teacher & instructional coach—7 years specializing in classroom discussion and critical thinking strategies. I hold a B.A. in Philosophy.

01 Ethics & Morality

It sounds like a math problem. It isn't, because nearly everyone at the table could spare the dollar.

Ethics & Morality If donating a dollar a day could save a child's life, do you have an obligation to donate?

Deep Dive Would you be more willing to donate if it went to a neighbor or loved one instead? Why?Who are we responsible for helping—family, community, strangers—and where does that responsibility come from?If you decide not to give and the child dies, are you responsible in any way?

02 Tech & Innovation

It's easy to say you'd shut it down. The follow-ups ask how you'd know you were right.

Tech & Innovation What would you do if an AI told you it was conscious and begged you not to shut it down?

Deep Dive Does an AI that seems conscious deserve rights and protections?How would we know if an AI is truly conscious or just really good at imitating it?What would actually convince you that an AI is conscious—how it acts, what it's made of, something it says, or something else?

03 Mind, Body, & Medicine

Plenty of people already have an answer to this one. The first follow-up tests how far that answer goes.

Mind, Body, & Medicine Should a person with a terminal illness have the right to choose when and how they die?

Deep Dive Should people with severe depression have the same right?What if a life-saving treatment exists but the patient refuses it—should they be forced to undergo it?What, if anything, makes euthanasia fundamentally different from other personal choices?

04 Faith & Meaning

Two things most people believe in, religious freedom and protecting kids, pointed straight at each other.

Faith & Meaning If a parent's faith tells them to pray instead of treating their sick child, at what point does religious freedom become neglect?

Deep Dive Would your thinking change if treating the illness came with life-threatening risks?At what point should the state be allowed to intervene on the child's behalf?Does religious freedom include the freedom to make decisions that might harm you or those you care for?

05 Wealth & Work

Everyone has an opinion on the number. The last question on the back asks what yours would cost you.

Wealth & Work A CEO makes 280 times more than what the lowest-paid worker makes. Is that fair compensation or a problem?

Deep Dive Would your answer change if the lowest-paid workers still earned enough to live comfortably?If you found out a company you buy from had this kind of gap, would it change your behavior?Would you personally be willing to take a pay cut if it reduced an unfair wage gap at your workplace?

06 Mind, Body, & Medicine

It starts as a decision about someone you love. The last question on the back makes it a decision about you.

Mind, Body, & Medicine A doctor says a loved one has little chance of ever regaining consciousness. How do you handle the situation?

Deep Dive If a vegetative patient could be kept alive, how long would be too long?Does even a slight chance of recovery justify keeping a patient alive?If you were in a vegetative state, how would you want loved ones to handle the situation?

07 Power & Politics

It's easy to answer in principle. The first follow-up asks what changes when the words are aimed at you or your child.

Power & Politics Should hate speech be protected as a form of free speech, or do some words go too far?

Deep Dive What if hateful comments were directed toward you or your child?When, if ever, does offensive language become dangerous?Does the number of people engaging in hate speech matter—a large group versus an individual?

08 Nature & Conservation

Saying no is easy. The follow-ups ask what kind of crisis would change your answer.

Nature & Conservation Would it ever be acceptable for a government to limit the number of children people can have to protect resources?

Deep Dive What level of crisis would be severe enough to justify a policy like this?If your government enforced this tomorrow, would you comply or resist?If limits prevented large-scale suffering in the future, would that justify coercion in the present?

09 Culture & Society

No policy, no headline. Just a kitchen table, and a last question that turns the whole thing around on you.

Culture & Society How would you respond if your child began identifying in a way you strongly disagreed with?

Deep Dive Does the age and maturity of the child make a difference in how you should respond?If a parent believes an identity choice could lead to harm, do they have a duty to resist it?Have you ever had an important part of yourself misunderstood or rejected by someone close to you?

10 Mind, Body, & Medicine

Every answer sounds fair until the patient has a face. The second follow-up gives them one.

Mind, Body, & Medicine Should younger patients be prioritized during a health crisis, or should all lives be valued equally regardless of age?

Deep Dive If a younger patient has a family who depends on them, while an older patient is alone, should that matter?Would your answer change if the older patient was your grandma—or the younger patient your sibling?Does the urgency to save someone change if they're already extremely old? Why or why not?

Quick questions

Will questions like these start a fight?

They don't have to. Every card is written to be neutral: it asks what you think and why, and it never assumes the answer. The follow-ups on the back usually make people less certain, not more, and that's what keeps a hard question from turning into a shouting match.

Are all the cards in THINK. this heavy?

No. These are ten of the hardest. Plenty of cards are easier to start with, like "Has any new technology in the last ten years actually made you happier?" Tech & Innovation and Ethics & Morality run lighter, and Mind, Body, & Medicine runs heaviest, so you can choose how deep the table goes.

Where do these questions come from?

They're from THINK., a deck of 120 conversation cards in eight categories. Each card has one question on the front and three follow-ups on the back: 480 questions in all. Every card on this page is shown exactly as it's printed, front and back.

Want more to ask? Try 50 moral and ethical questions or 50 thought-provoking questions.

Ryan Rivas