3 Ethics in Asking Questions
“There are naïve questions, tedious questions, ill-phrased questions, questions put after inadequate self-criticism. But every question is a cry to understand the world.” (Carl Sagan)
This chapter is in-progress.
There is a meme template that begins, “Never ask a woman her age, a man his salary…”
The basic principle introduced here is that some questions are more appropriate than others. Put another way, questions have varying levels of “appropriateness,” and it is worthwhile for
In educational contexts, we appreciate all questions. The only bad question, as the saying goes, is the question that you do not ask.
At the amenities time, as the aforementioned meme template suggests, some questions are more appropriate than others.
3.1 What “asking questions” includes
3.2 Some Types of questions
| Question Type | Description | Example | Answers |
|---|---|---|---|
| “Whether” | Presents a finite number of direct answers. May be yes-or-no questions, or questions that name two or more possible direct answers. | Was there a quorum at the meeting? | a. There was a quorum at the meeting. b. There was no quorum at the meeting. |
| Does Alice live in Chicago, in New York City, or in Los Angeles? | a. Alice lives in Chicago. b. Alice lives in New York City. c. Alice lives in Los Angeles. |
||
| “Which” | Seeks a specific person, thing, or value. May have an indefinite or infinite number of direct answers. | Who was the President of the USA in 1978? | a. Jimmy Carter b. Gerald Ford |
| What is the smallest prime number greater than 12? | a. 13 is the smallest prime number greater than 12. | ||
| Which cardinal was elected Pope in 2013? | a. Cardinal Angelo Scola b. Cardinal Odilo Scherer c. Jorge Mario Bergoglio |
||
| “Why” | Asks for an explanation (not just a fact). Closely tied to causal, data-informed, or interpretive explanation. | Why do the planets move in elliptical orbits with the sun at one focus? | a. The gravitational pull of the sun causes the planets to move in elliptical orbits. |
| Indirect (“Embedded”) | Comes from the complement of a clause-embedding predicate, such as know or wonder. These questions appear inside larger statements rather than standing alone. |
Bob knows who spoke to Mary. | TK |
3.2.1 Presuppositions
Many questions involve a presupposition: a background claim that must be true in order for the question to have a correct answer. If someone denies that background claim (i.e. the presupposition), they are correcting the question itself, and may not be able to answer the original question.
Below are some examples of presuppositions associated with example questions, as drawn from (Cross and Roelofsen 2024).
| Question | Answer(s) | Presupposition(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Who was the President of the USA in 1978? | a. Jimmy Carter b. Gerald Ford |
The USA had exactly one President in 1978. |
| Was there a quorum at the meeting? | a. There was a quorum at the meeting. b. There was no quorum at the meeting. |
The meeting occurred. |
| Does Alice live in Chicago, in New York City, or in Los Angeles? | a. Alice lives in Chicago. b. Alice lives in New York City. c. Alice lives in Los Angeles. |
The question presupposes that Alice lives in one of the listed places. A corrective answer could reject that assumption, perhaps suggesting that Alice lived somewhere else, or in multiple cities. |
| Which cardinal was elected Pope in 2013? | a. Cardinal Angelo Scola b. Cardinal Odilo Scherer c. Jorge Mario Bergoglio |
Someone was elected Pope in 2013. |
| Why do the planets move in elliptical orbits with the sun at one focus? | a. The gravitational pull of the sun causes the planets to move in elliptical orbits. | The planets do move in elliptical orbits with the sun at one focus. |
3.3 Naïve questions
TK
3.4 Invasive questions
If a potential employer were to ask my weight during a job interview, it would be inappropriate. However, when I visit the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to obtain my driver’s license, I am required to provide an answer. I have consented to the requirements of the system if I wish to obtain their permission to drive cars in the state (i.e. to get my driver’s license).
TK
3.5 Framing and rhetoric
TK
- Deirdre McCloskey - notes on “objective” analysis as rhetorical/persuasive; questions embed values/narratives.
3.6 Questions for your questions
- Who asked this question?
- What are their goals and incentives?
- Who else may have asked this question?
- Have they shard results anywhere?
- Are there existing data to addresses this question?