A beautiful question is an ambitious yet actionable question that can begin to shift the way we perceive or think about something - and that might serve as a catalyst to bring about change.
The quote above is from the book A More Beautiful Question. I recently spent some time reading the book and learning about the act of questioning. Research tells us that when a child is between the ages of two and fave, they ask around forty thousand questions (Berger, 2014, p. 40). Children are naturally curious and want to learn about the world around them. Everything is new to them, and they are eager to take it and understand it. If you've spent any time around young children, you've been a witness to this experience. However, as we get older, we stop asking so many questions.
Stop and think to yourself: what was the last question you asked? Chances are it was something like, "Has anyone seen the remote?" or "What time are we going to dinner?" While these are questions that need answers, they aren't necessarily good questions. Now, as a teacher, I have to say: there is no such thing as a stupid question, and I truly believe that. All questions are important and need to be answered to get you through your day and get things done, but they aren't filling Berger's definition of a beautiful question. We need to be working harder to ask questions that are worth asking in order to further our own knowledge and others.
E.E. Cummings said, "Always the beautiful answer / Who asks a more beautiful question." We spend most of our lives trying to answer questions and solve problems, but we don't spend very much time asking questions and determining what problems are worth solving. How can we get better at asking questions? There are 8 key elements that makes a beautiful question worth asking.
Open-Ended
A good question should be open-ended, not close-ended. It should require more than a yes or no answer. Sometimes it doesn't have a clear "right" answer.
Complex
Questions should be complicated with multiple facets and parts to consider when answering. Good questions aren't solved with a generic answer.
Informed
Even though questions come from a place of not knowing, you should still be aware of the context before asking it. Specifically, make sure you are being conscious of people's cultures and identities. See if there are ways to educate yourself before asking someone to do it for you.
Challenging
Your question should challenge norms or ideas already in place. A good question makes waves and disrupts society or the place you are in. Challenge an idea, an authority, a standard, or something else with your question. Uninspired questions aren't going to have inspired answers.
Progressive
A good question is advocating for some sort of reform. The answer to a good question brings about change in some way, but the question itself can be about change too. Forcing yourself and others to stop and think causes progress.
Actionable
A good question is able to be dealt with and answered in a tangible way. It has an answer with steps that are able to bring about the change that it calls for. Big lofty questions aren't going to change the world because they can't always be answered.
Propulsive
The question leads to more questions or more actions. A good question is just the start of more questions and (hopefully) more answers. It sends your own thinking and other's forward.
Time-Consuming
A good question takes time to ask and takes time to answer. Don't ask the first question in your head. Let it develop slowly into its full potential. Once it's developed, give yourself and others plenty of time to ponder before taking action.
Now, take a moment and think about the last time you asked a truly beautiful question. Even one that fit maybe 5 of the criteria if not all 8. How often do you spend thinking about questions like this? And what's stopping you from asking more? Sometimes we are afraid of asking questions because we are scared of having to address answers that shift what we believe to be fundamentally true. We are scared of a change in our world or self view that comes about form asking beautiful questions, and it should be a little scary. Complex, propulsive, challenging things are always scary, but often times, that's what makes them worth doing in the first place.
A beautiful question can be the springboard to your passion or the springboard to a life-challenging solution. In his book, Berger tells stories about Airbnb, prothetic feet, lighter golf balls, and more. Each of these inventions and ideas started as beautiful questions. They took the time to create and form a beautiful question before getting to work on the steps to fix or solve it. Sometimes a beautiful question slaps you in the face. You have a problem that needs to be solved, and you progress the skillsets to make it happen. But, sometimes, you struggle to find your passion and beautiful question in life.
Take some time and think about it. What beautiful question might change your life?
Berger, W. (2014). A more beautiful question: The power of inquiry to spark breakthrough ideas. Bloomsbury USA.