Some of the daft questions that come up on Quora result from simple ignorance. These are easily dealt with. But there are others which seem to be based on a fundamental failure to understand the world and how it works. The kind of ignorance this produces is self-inflicted, and often deeply ingrained into the questioner’s …
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If ‘psychics’ are genuine, then they’re all jerks
Suppose you meet someone at a party. Let’s call her ‘Kim’. And over the course of your conversation, Kim claims that she can fly, unaided, just like Superman. “Oh,” you say. “Is that meant to be a secret? Because I have never heard of you.” “No, it’s not a secret. I just don’t make a …
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Pointless Questions 5: Asking ‘is it possible that…?’
You generally don’t have to ask ‘Is it possible that X?’ because you can answer that for yourself. If X involves a logical contradiction, then it’s not possible. Otherwise it is. What you probably should be asking is ‘Is there any reason to believe that X is true?’ But if there’s no evidence for X, then you can answer this …
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Pointless questions 4: Asking questions that nobody can answer
Some Quora participants seem to regard it as a supernatural fount of knowledge, which can turn up a meaningful answer to every question. And, sadly, some other participants cater to this by ‘answering’ questions about topics that are completely unknown and impenetrable. Really, it’s pointless to ask questions like ‘What will happen in fifty years?’ …
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Pointless questions 3: Asking for definitions
“Can I define <abc> as <xyz>?” “What is your definition of <klm>? “Is <def> really <ghi>?” Definitions of standard English terms can be found in any good online dictionary. These reflect the actual use of language by the general population. If you want to know what a word means, or whether it means the same …
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If atheism is the reality we live in, why does astrology feel so accurate?
Because it’s specifically written to seem accurate, with vague generalities and positive statements about the person whose ‘horoscope’ is being delivered. And personalised horoscopes are usually based on careful study, analysis, and sometimes covert surveillance of the client, combined into a very skilful analysis of exactly what he or she wants to hear. Get a friend to …
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Eleven Ways to Ask Daft Questions on Quora
Asking ‘what would we do if…’ something impossible happened. Impossible events are impossible. We don’t need to prepare for them, we don’t need to consider them, we don’t need to think about them at all, ever. And in order for an impossible event to take place, the universe would have to be so entirely different …
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How can we trust that our human senses are not deceiving us?
The world is a dangerous place. The job of our senses provide us with enough sufficiently correct information to survive and reproduce. People whose senses don’t function well enough to do that either end up in protective custody, or die. Your senses aren’t concerned with telling you everything that’s going on around you. Most of it is …
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Would living in a simulation created by super intelligent beings make more sense than a belief in God to an atheist?
The reason most atheists give for not believing in gods is that there is no evidence of gods. Since there is also no evidence that we are ‘living in a simulation’—whatever that actually means—most atheists can be expected to regard this claim in exactly the same way.
Does the angel really have a horn and a tail?
Angels don’t ‘really’ have anything, because they don’t really exist. How you depict them, and what you think they do, depends upon the mythic tradition which you choose to follow—if any—and how much you want to embellish it through your own imagination.
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