The Art of Asking Smart
Questions
Lubomír Kostroň 2020
Back to basics:
• Hierarchy of what it is known :
data (information),
knowledge ,
understanding of priciples (wisdom)
• What should be the criteria to sort out the information /
knowledge? According to their origin, time, culture, the author?
What are they concerned with (the name index)? Formal signs
(kvantifiable x nonquantifiable)?
• According to the mean of their transfer (Michael Polanyi) :
explicit (tangible knowledge) vs. implicit (tacit knowledge)
• According to their usefullness, neeediness?
• The basic unit for our purpose might be the professional domain,
field.
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Thinking is
a process of a choice
Thinking is a process of a problem conception
time
present
decision
moment
The continuity
of past processes
rule. I can foresee,
but not to influence
Remember, thinking (decision-making) is also a process
past (tradicion, paradigm) dependent
Future
uncertainity
scope
The past
Evolution
trajectory
The predictions
time
horizon
Expected and unexpected consequences.
The processes, I can influence
by decisions and actions
By Jay W.Forrester
History : the changing paradigm:
• All is within the powers of God….
• All is deterministic, subject to eventual discovery and knowning;
the nature can a will be mastered (the éthos of an industrial age)
The quality of a science and scholarship rests in the preservation, addition and extension
of internally cohorent knowledge and opinions. The model is a growing and branching
off tree of knowledge.
• The world is a process of a change. The simple accumulation of
„facts“ is not right any more….
Getting to know is and active process of a reconstruction of the perceived/truth).
„…the impulses, affecting our sensors, turn into an information if we can ascribe to it
some meaning. The meaning, however, changes according the context, the situation…“
Stanislav Lem (1921 – 2006)
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The quality of education according to its
meaning
The meaning of a scholarship during the history:
a) To know and to accumulate the knowledge and skills ; to explain the world
and life according the dogma, a practical use in life and a guidance to enter
the life in a Paradise
The contemporary meaning :
a) + b) to master the production and the increase of productivity rules; the
sustainable growth problems solution (i.e. economic, ecological, social =
cultural, food, health, security needs),
The meaing of tomorrow:
a) + b) + to anticipate and to prepare for a new, even unexpected,
increasingly rapid changes. The criterion of a quality today is: how are we
prepared to cope with changes in the future? Basic knowledge, limits of their
validity, the skills to open a new questions.
See also sir Kenneth Robinson on www.ted.com
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Learning new is an active process of a „truth
reconstruction“ – a relativistic world
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„The answers depens
upon how you ask“
„Anything goes“
Paul K. Feyerabend
(1924 – 1994)
Paul Samuel Kuhn
(1922 – 1996)
The quality of education (understanding) is
changing:
• We need both:
a) the explanation of the world, as well as
b) the ability to cope with the unknown future
• Thus we need to predict all, what
• is possisble, „to see the future in more
variants“ (see picture 34)
• „although the future is unknowable,
it is possible to change it “
Aurelio Peccei,
the founding Club of Rome president
(1908 – 1984)
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• The classic metaphor: The circle content is all we know,
the surrounding space is the unknown. As we learn, then the
more we know (the circle content enlarges), the more questions
arrise (the circle circumference extends).
• If the amount of what we know and our
skills to ask increases, what happens with the scope of the unknown!?
Saying: the human IQ seems to be limited, the ignorance unlimited
The art of asking questions:
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The economic trajectory dictates: „grow“!
The life trajectory dictates: „grow and then decay“.
Is the ideal, ultimate goal of our specie to maximize knowledge
(natural inquiery in children, life-long education)?
Is this assuption of growing and later decreasing ability to learn
valid only for the individual or whole societies? Are the
conditions for social learning fulfilled?
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The economic trajectory dictates: „grow“!
It is said, that the transition to the use of a more sophisticated form
of energy, requires to double the amount of information
(knowledge) compared to the previous state.
How much is it necessary to know
to live a satisfied/happy life?
GDP gross domestic product or
HDI: human development index?
Which one is more „information“ (educational system) demanding?
Do they teach „satisfied life“ in our schools – or families?
Is it a case of explicit (tangible) or implicit (tacit) knowledge
transfer?
How to teach attitudes toward the unknown and the openess
toward changes? The tolerance toward ambiguity (F scale)?
How to decide what is better to forget – to unlearn?
The difference between „to know“ and „to understand“. To understand grows
from knowing the detailes, which then become unnecessary and are to be
forgotten (see „Aikidó“).
How to transform „change“ into the „gap“? Predicton of trends…?
The art of asking questions
• Why do we imagine things we want to do and donn´t know how
(„puzzles“) better , than new, desired objects of our imagination
(„problems“)?
• How we could imagine (inquire about) objects we do not know yet so,
as we could better think about how to make them – and thus the
structure of known and unknown elements would emerge in the realm
of unknown?
14
The art of asking questions
15
The information does not fade away, on the contrary, it spreads by sharing
(see also „the memes“ of Susan Blackmoore) and acquires a new meaning in a new
contexts.
If we consider structures of the „known and new“ differently, then under which
circumstanecs could the information (knowlege) grow?
Could the AI „cultivate, grow“ knowledge as plastic surgery heals skin wounds
by nets of implants? ( and as urban planners do in city – slums) ?
Considering the field: „metapsychology“
• How to determine what is the subject matter of your
professional field? What is an integral part of it and what
already is not? By its theories - or problems, it copes with ?
Any other idea?
• What is most interesting topic in the given field and why?
The most difficult one and why?
• Which parts of the field are most controversial (consensus
is missing) – is it due to their position on the border with
the unkown? Their speculative nature (inaccessible to
empirical research)? No professional tools available?
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Which are the most frequented topis in research or practice?
Which are the least? What are the „blind spots“ of the field?
Could you draw a conceptual map of the field of your
interest? What will you include in it?
Ho much will such a concept map change over time (short
and long range)?
How is its appearance result of a prevailing paradigm? How
different would the map look if you change the paradigm?
What concepts would you drop out, what new would you
include, which relationships will change?
Name few theories explaining one problem. Say which seems
to be mutually coherent (in aggreement), and which are
contradictory (inner conflict).
Metapsychology 2
• How to define „usefulness“? Can you guess the
„usefullness/longevity“ of some kind of knowledge (for
instance a concept, a theory)? Limits of their validity?
• Can there be used an economical concept of „additional
value“? Given an effort you develop to pass an exam, which
course seems to be most usefull for you as a practicioner
later on?
• Which professional activities seem to be well structured, as
to be accessible to algorhytmization – meaning succeptible
to diagnostic IT systems, „robotization“?
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Metapsychology 3
The exploration of the unknown, material objects
Durbin Gail, Morris Susan, Wilkinson Sue: Learning from Objects: A Teacher's Guide
(Education on Site)
A workshop dedicated to the development of:
- reasoning,
- interpretation (various opinions about value,
time and purpose of origin of things….),
- sorting out concepts,
- wording questions,
- to see patterns, functions and their mutual
relations,
- to make judgments developed on fragments
continue
Also some skills:
- The placement of an object into a proper context,
distiguishing among various contexts,
- Hypotheses formulaton, comparison, judgment,
assessment, prediction of individual traits
consequences in respect to the whole / context, also
in respect to possible generalizations,
- Discovering the structure and function relations, the
substance and principle used,
- Searching for an adequite social, historical, economic
and spiritual contexts (paradigm) at the time of the
object´s creation
continue
Examples of questions:
- What is the object´s value (symbolic, emotional, other…),
- Does it express any values or attitudes of its users toward
the world?
- Are there present any time, usage, survival, changes,
continuity, development traces?
- The aesthetic quality, novelty - originality or just a
„recycled“ older concept used; is it specifc - typical,
uncertain, multipurpose or one purpose tool to be used for
analysis or synthesis ?
- Is it all or just a part of some larger whole? Does it belong
(in)to something? Is it mobile or stabile:
- What did it served to?
- What material(s) were used for its production?
- I it raw (unfinished) material or is it worn out by its use?
- Is it hand made or machine produced?
- ….
- Tell a story „how does it feel to become this object?“
An analogy: generating questions about abstract
concepts
(take pychology as a whole or just your narrow field of your professional
interest):
1) What is the name of your professional field
(domain)?
2) What is its basic topic, subject matter, what is it
dedicated to? What problems does it solve?
3) When was it originated?
4) Did it develop from a broader, older domain, field?
5) State 5 – 10 basic concepts (theories) used in your
field.
6) Can you draw a concept map which constitute the
field (basic concepts and their mutual relations)?
7) Is the map internally consistent? How can you
prove it (empirical research)?
Generating questions about your field 2
8) Are there any other fields of related
knowledge? Can you also place them
somewhere on the map?
9) Is it a field, which prospers thanks to an
interdisciplinary co-operation?
10) Is it a filed mostly descriptive, defining
and structuring the subject matter of its
interest – or a prescriptive or predictive one?
11) What is the nature of the main research
methods (approaches) used in the field? Are
they used by other sicences? Does it use
experiments?
12) Which of its theories originated in solving
practical problems?
Generating questions about your field 3
13) Does it have its own research methodology
(methods) or just adopted them from other sciences?
14) Does the body of a theory grow by an
accumulation of knowledge gained – examples?
15) Is the research methodology mostly of a
qualitative or a quantitative nature?
16) Does it use both approaches – to what purposes?
Any use of an „Action research“?
17) Would you include your area of interest among
natural or social sciences?
18) Depending upon the topic, does it belong rather
among the basic or applied research?
19) Considering the social needs, what is main
contribution, meaning and significance of psychology?
Generating questions about your field 4
20) Considering the future social needs, which
discovery (innovation) in psychology would bring a
greatest social benefit ?
21) In which area the development of the field
stagnates; what might be the cause of it?
22) During the course of history, did psychology
experience any conceptual crises, revolutionary
change and shifts? What was the problem, who
were the„big names“?
23) Does your field grow from a „real word“ or is
rather of a speculative nature ( does it use more the
corespondency vs. coherency theory of truth)?
24) They say, that the development is not a linear,
continuous one. How did your field develop, can you
imagine its next qualitative leap?
25) What are the main principles („wisdom“) of
your field? Which of them may change so, as to
cause convergency of a particular key important
„psychological domain“ with some other science?
How will psychology – as a science – change in the
next few decades?
26) Into the solution of what problem will you
invest your energy, talents and time – to make a
real contribution ?!
27) ….?
Generating questions about your field 5
My own grandfather,
blacksmith František
Čáp, posing proudly
by his new discovery.
This device puts a metal
hoop on wooden wheels
under normal
temperature,
without heating the
metal red hot.
Průmstav,
Výstaviště, Brno 1946
Good timing: the case of a discovery, which came too late
Additional „Remarks on creativity“
Robert P. Crawford
The basic creative process is :
a) a special kind of adaption. The choice of one item´s
feature (trait) and its use on other item;
b) an item (a process, a thought), which we take one
feature (quality) from; a second item (a problem,
process, thought) becomes richer, changed by the use of
a feature (quality) of the first item added;
b) a third item arises (a problem solved, a new prosess, a
thought), enriched and changed by the application of the
said feature (quality).
Remarks on creativity 2
How to recognize and to choose the essential,
substantial features (traits):
a) In the social context they are usually the
financial profit, a success, a laber reduction,
well-off being, taking things easy, an aesthetic
experience, adopting a prevailing way of thinking
(a paradigm),
b) It is essential to recognize the substantial,
fundamental features early at the beginning –
before dealing with detailes – they influence later
direction of reasoning,
Remarks on creativity 3
c)A list of obvious features (qualities) improves
the ability to discover other ones, more
hidden (equivalents to operations with
abstract concepts might be those, which we
do with material objects: enlarge it, reduce
it, lower or increase its prize, extend
(shorten) it, reduce the weight, decorate it
(or vice versa), make it safer, turn it into a
mobile item, change the round shape into
other one, put it upside-down or inside-out,
change material or colour used, increase user
friendliness),
d) Perceive differences sensitively. The ability to
„look into the future“ evolves from observation.
Features, characteristics of objects should be
considered from the point of view of the future, of
the past and not only the presence.
e) New evolves everywhere, the creative process
is endless in time, as well as in space, possibilities
have no boundaries.
f) The acceptance of a new idea depends upon the
possibility of its application and use to solve a
pressing problem.
Remarks on creativity 4
While seeking a solution to a problem (for
instance a technical malfunction), retreat from
the level of an actual technical solution used and
elevate your considerations to a more general
level of a physical principle used. Use a different
one.
Accordingly, in the social systems, a conflict
resolution may be more obvious, when you
consider the importance of basic values involved.
In a hopeless situations refer to Murphy´s laws.
Remarks on creativity 5
Remarks on creativity (group procedures) 6
Edward de Bono „Six Thinking Hats“
What do I want to achieve? One direction
thinking only.
Facts, points of departure, no tendencies,
no directions
Alternative ideas, thoughts, asociations,
pointing to all directions
Emotions, interests, preferences, ideas
pointing outise from the core
Critical points, identification od weak points,
what will brake down and why is it all wrong
Management, the bird and more distant view,
broader contexts; summaries, recapitulation –
overall overview
Remarks on creativity (group procedures) 7
The future scenario plannning
A weekend brainstorming session. Key steps:
- What is the key question to be answered (may be agreed upon
in advance)?
- Which forces drive the development forward?
- What are the most important risks and uncertainties?
- Out of the dominant tendencies, choose two axes, creating four
quadrants (possible „worlds“).
- Define the natures of those four worlds and also an image of four
types of organizations, prospering in them.
- Compose four types of business strategies (later even personnel
strategy), adequate to these worlds. Choose the desirable ones
and work the in detail.
- Later, repeat the procedure periodically and compare your
choices with the reality. Adjust the navigation.
Conclussion:
a) in long run, what would you prefer –
to learn or to remain courious?
b) rewrite the textbook !
c) thanks for your thinking.
• Bono Edward de (1985) „Six Thinking Hats“, Key Porter Books
• Boorstin Daniel J. (1983), „The Discoverers. A History of Man´s
Seach to Know His World and Himself“, Random House
• Crawford Robert P.,(1964), „Direct Creativity“, University of
Nebrasca, Fraser Publishing Comp., Vermont
• Duncan R., Weston-Smith M. (ed.) (1977) „The Encyclopaedia of
Ignorance – everything you ever wanted to know about the
unknown“, Pocket Books, N.Y.
• Durbin Gail, Morris Susan, Wilkinson Sue: „A Teacher´s Guide to
Learning from Objects“, English Heritage
• Stenudd Stefan, (2008) Aikido: The Peaceful Martial Art. BookSurge.
• Turner W.B., (1986) „Nothing and Non-Existence:
The Transcendence of Science“, Philosophical Library, N.Y.
Literature
B.I.B.S., a.s. , Lidická 960/81,
602 00 Brno, Czech Republic,
Tel: +420 545 210 792,
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