A problem is a question or moot point that requires a solution; For example, if my bathroom spout breaks, that will be the problem and calling an expert on these issues, such as a plumber, is the solution that this problem requires to stop being a problem.
Now, this is the most general definition that can be given about the concept, as long as and depending on the subject of study, there are different types of problems.
For instance, for mathematics, a problem is a question about objects and structures that requires explanation and proof (Who has not had in their school days a real "problem" with mathematics, right?) These can be calculus, algebra, geometric and non-algorithmic. And on the other hand, there is the so-called didactic problem, which is one that is used a lot in school to get the student to refine and polish their reasoning and that for its solution requires the implementation of mathematics, but also logic and monitoring. of three fundamental steps, first to understand the problem, then to abstract from it, replacing it with a mathematical expression and finally, to arrive, clearly understanding, to the result. These same principles are applied to solve other problems applied to exact sciences such as physics and its many variants, or chemistry and biochemistry. It is worth recognizing that the simple school problems of childhood have the same foundation and underlying mechanisms of resolution as the complex equations that allow a spaceship to fly or define the laws of macroeconomics for nations.
Well, all this in the mathematical field ... in the meantime, socially, a problem can be a pending social issue that, if solved, will give rise to certain benefits for the whole of society that can be translated into higher productivity, less confrontation and better quality of life. Social problems have encountered different cumulative and critical moments throughout the history of humanity and have thus unleashed various conflicts and even wars and other aberrations, the final result of which in many cases has not been the solution of the problem, but the generation of new problems.
Getting a little more thoughtful, abstract and spiritual, in the religion and in philosophy the concept of problem is very present. In the first, for example, it is the contradiction between two dogmasAs can be the problem of evil, which sustains the existence and coexistence of a good God with the devil and hell, instead of being the latter. This problem has been analyzed by philosophers of the stature of Saint Thomas Aquinas, who in his work defined evil as an entity that does not exist by itself, since it is understood as the negation of the good, just as it cannot be defined as darkness or cold as nosological entities, but as the respective absences of light and heat. In this framework, for philosophy, embedded in the events and vicissitudes of being, a problem is that which disturbs the peace and harmony of those who suffer it. This conception of problems is very characteristic of integrative or holistic views, as occurs with the philosophical schools of Asia, especially in India.
Therefore, the versatility of the concept of "problem" crosses the most varied areas of human action and knowledge. However, there are many problems that seem to lack a specific solution. In the mathematical field, there is the typical case of quotients whose divisor is zero. In the field of chemistry and physics, the reactions that try to divide the smallest subatomic particles are cited. Finally, in the field of philosophy, society and politics, the myriad of problems without a current solution constitutes an interesting stimulus for experts in these disciplines to propose to direct their resolution for the good of knowledge, quality of life and growth. of humanity as a whole.
