Philosophical Questions: Asking Questions

[ysabetwordsmith]

People have expressed interest in deep topics, so this list focuses on philosophical questions.


What two questions would you ask to get the most information about who a person truly is?

Well, I could ask, "What is your life purpose?" but 1) most people don't know theirs, and 2) that's really intimate for a getting-to-know-you situation.

"What's your favorite book?" is probably safer and likely to be useful. If they say "That's like asking which is my favorite child," I'll probably like them even if we prefer different genres. If they can specify a favorite, it'll give me some useful clues. Any variation of "I don't read much" means a very low chance of connection.

Comments

Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

>>I tend not to answer questions like; "What do you want?" and "Who do you trust?". Evidence would suggest it doesn't end well when strangers ask you those types of questions.

"What is your life purpose?" would be another one like that.<<

Yeah, like I said, the categories of "most revealing possible questions" and "questions that are suitable for strangers to discuss" are largely at opposite ends of the conversational spectrum. But then again ...

Find the others.

>> I honestly couldn't tell you what my favorite book is.. well apart from the ones I've written myself. Apart from anything else, I don't usually remember titles. I could tell you everything about the story, but the book's title and who wrote it, tends to be forgettable.<<

Yeah, I'm not great at that either, though I can do some.

Re: Thoughts

[siliconshaman]

But.."What do you want?"

Who the person asking the question is, is also important when considering the answer.

Re: Thoughts

[(Anonymous)]

I mean...its one of those things that varies by context.

It can be a blunt deterrent wielded against an unpleasant person. It can be an affirmation of humanity and agency directed to a total stranger or chosen family or anyone in between. It can be used to mark yourself a safe or an ally to someone who has every reason to distrust you. It can manipulate someone who hasn't ever been offered a choice before, by anyone. It can be used as a form of appeasement against an aggressive person whose demands are unclear. It's part of the Socratic method, of therapy, and the underlying question of many, many relationships, business and otherwise.