Purely Hypothetical

Purely Hypothetical

What if there were no hypothetical questions? Well... that's one.

Daily thought experiments, philosophical puzzles, and impossible scenarios explored in depth. One question at a time.

Latest Questions

What If Dark Matter Was Suddenly Visible?

What If Dark Matter Was Suddenly Visible?

• 7 min read • science

Eighty-five percent of the universe's mass appears overnight. The night sky fills with structures we never knew existed. Physics gets a very busy week.

What If the Moon Was Actually Made of Cheese?

What If the Moon Was Actually Made of Cheese?

• 6 min read • fun

Tidal forces from a cheese moon would be different. Space agencies pivot to dairy extraction. And the smell reaches Earth within decades.

What If Children Ran the Government?

What If Children Ran the Government?

• 6 min read • society

Bedtime abolished by executive order. Ice cream subsidised. Defence budget redirected to trampolines. Honestly, some policies would improve.

What If You Woke Up in Medieval England?

What If You Woke Up in Medieval England?

• 7 min read • survival

Your modern immune system meets medieval hygiene. Your knowledge of history is useless without literacy in Old English. You last about a week.

What If the Sahara Became a Giant Solar Farm?

What If the Sahara Became a Giant Solar Farm?

• 7 min read • technology

Enough energy to power the entire world 100 times over. The engineering is feasible. The geopolitics is the part that kills it.

What If Your Shoes Had Opinions?

What If Your Shoes Had Opinions?

• 6 min read • fun

Your trainers critique your outfit. Your dress shoes refuse puddles. Your slippers stage a sit-in every Monday morning.

What If You Could Photocopy Yourself?

What If You Could Photocopy Yourself?

• 7 min read • science

Send the copy to work. But which one is the real you? And does the copy get a vote? Existential dread meets HR policy.

What If the Spanish Armada Succeeded?

What If the Spanish Armada Succeeded?

• 7 min read • history

Catholic England, no British Empire, no Anglophone world. Shakespeare writes in exile — if he writes at all.

What If Sharks Could Walk on Land?

What If Sharks Could Walk on Land?

• 6 min read • nature

Beach holidays end forever. Coastal cities install fences. And the phrase 'jump the shark' takes on terrifyingly literal meaning.

What If a Solar Storm Destroyed All Electronics?

What If a Solar Storm Destroyed All Electronics?

• 7 min read • technology

No phones, no internet, no power grid. The Carrington Event of 1859 happened before electronics existed. Next time, we won't be so lucky.

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