TOD 09.12.07

I was recently chastised by a loyal listener for asking poorly framed questions on my show. He said that I’ll ask a question such as “Is it immoral to drop by without calling first?” which invites a “Yes” or “No” answer when in fact there are too many variables to answer it so simplistically. Of course he’s right, but he missed the point.

See, I host a radio show which is designed to generate discussion for the purpose of finding wisdom. And in most cases, the Yes/No form of a question invites people to discuss the topic more thoroughly and raise the variables and different circumstances. By the end of this process, everyone who listens should have a pretty clear idea of when it’s “Yes” and when it’s “No.” Plus they will have a solid grasp of most, if not all, of the relevant principles involved in why those answers are what they are.

But the most valuable thing they have acquired is wisdom about the topic, wisdom whose main component is often precisely the recognition that the question cannot be adequately answered with a simple “Yes” or “No.”