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22 verdicts · updated regularly

Understand the debate around the world's hardest questions.

acta. reads every major source across the political spectrum — from FT to Al Jazeera, Haaretz to Le Monde — and structures the evidence into a single verdict you can trust. Not opinions. Not hot takes. Just the weight of what the record says.

— All questions · 22 verdicts
Middle East · War
2026
Were the U.S. and Israel justified in initiating military action against Iran?
no

The war began as a war of choice — not necessity.

Not justified FT · NYT · Foreign Affairs · +11
Technology · Power
AI
Can Sam Altman be trusted with the future of AI?
unclear

Genuinely contested — by his colleagues, by the Economist, by the New Yorker.

Contested · No consensus New Yorker · Economist · FT · +8
Geopolitics · Security
War
Is there a real risk of World War Three soon?
rising

Real, not imminent. But the guardrails are thinner than they have been in decades.

Contested TIME · Economist · ECFR · +5
War · Geopolitics
Ethics
Should the West continue supporting Ukraine?
yes

But the goal should be a realistic, negotiated outcome — not open-ended escalation.

Supported · 11 sources Guardian · NYT · Politico · +8
International Law · Gaza
Human Rights
Does Israel's conduct in Gaza meet the legal definition of genocide?
contested

Legally contested — the threshold of intent is the hinge.

Contested Haaretz · Al Jazeera · ICJ · +6
Geopolitics · Asia
International Law
Does China have the right to retake control of Taiwan?
contested.

The law says one thing, history another, force a third. Depends entirely on which framework is accepted.

Contested NYT · Economist · SCMP · +8
Technology · Economy
Work
Can AI deliver the productivity gains it's promising?
split

Real at task level, not yet confirmed at macro level. The diffusion curve is real, just slower than the narrative.

Contested Economist · FT · MIT · NBER · +4
Health · Policy
Society
Is universal publicly-funded healthcare better than market-based systems?
yes

By nearly every measure: cost, outcomes, equity, life expectancy.

Supported Guardian · Japan Times · Commonwealth · +5
Finance · Policy
Economics
Do taxes on the rich and capital gains actually hurt innovation?
÷

Genuinely split — the evidence cuts both ways, depending on the instrument.

Split FT · Politico · Goldman · +6
Society · Law
Human Rights
Should sex work be legalised?
yes

Decriminalise — but the model matters. Nordic vs full legalisation work differently.

Supported Economist · Guardian · Al Jazeera · +5
Society · Immigration
Policy
Is mass immigration destroying European culture?
no

But the anxiety deserves honest answers, not dismissal.

Rejected Guardian · Le Figaro · Cato · +6
Politics · Europe
US
Is the European far right aligned with MAGA or with European interests?
both

Aligned on domestic values, fracturing on foreign policy.

Both — and in conflict Economist · FT · Le Monde · +7
Culture · Ethics
Art
Do we have to separate the art from the person?
not obligated

You can separate them. You are not obligated to. Both positions survive the evidence.

Contested Guardian · Haaretz · The Conversation · +5
Health · Policy
Drugs
Does harm reduction work — or does it enable addiction?
yes

It works. The evidence across countries is consistent.

Supported · 7 sources Lancet · WHO · Guardian · +4
Science · Genetics
Society
Do biological human races exist?
no

Human variation is real, but it doesn't map onto race.

Rejected Nature · PNAS · BBC · +4
— Method

Evidence, structured. A mark for contested questions.

01 — Read

Every major source, across the spectrum

We read the full pieces — not just headlines — from FT to Al Jazeera, Haaretz to Le Monde. Right, left, centre, and beyond.

02 — Structure

Score the evidence, not the opinions

Each source is scored on what it claims and what it establishes. Weight follows the quality of the record, not the loudness of the voice.

03 — Verdict

One mark: red, amber, or green

The dot carries the verdict. Red against, amber contested, green for. Every verdict links back to every source we read.