Discussion: "¿Are there stupid questions?"
Details
Is there really no such thing as a stupid question? Or are some questions better than others? Can a question still be valuable even if it has no answer?
In this session of Marginal Thoughts, we will interrogate questions, uncertainty, and curiosity. Before meeting at a dubious cafe and donning our skeptical hats, we'll read these three short pieces:
- A short story by Isaac Asimov: "The Last Question" (alternative link with the original scan; ~30 min read)
- An essay by Bertrand Russell: "The Value of Philosophy" (~10 min)
- A poem by Jane Hirshfield: "My Doubt" (~2 min)
In these, Isaac Asimov outdoes Silicon Valley and suggests turning the entire universe into a datacenter, Bertrand Russell defends philosophy's poor track record of answering questions, and Jane Hirshfield asks whether there might be a downside to all that doubt... ¿
How to prepare
Please read all the materials in advance. As you do, try to identify at least one point of curiosity, confusion, or uncertainty - these will be natural starting points for our discussion.
What to expect
This is an in-person, conversational meetup in English. The goal isn't to debate, lecture, or "confess" - it’s to explore ideas and leave with better questions than we arrived with.