The above question is a big part of what I’m exploring on this site and in my book A More Beautiful Question.
It’s entirely subjective, of course. A question could be considered “beautiful” for all kinds of reasons. But from my own perspective, I’m partial to questions that have the potential to bring about change; questions that cause you to say, “Aha!” because they shift the way you think about a problem or a subject.
I prefer that those questions be ambitious but I also think they should be actionable. If you ask, How might we bring about world peace immediately?, it’s hard to know how or where to begin. I find innovators often focus on a problem that is challenging yet possible.
So then, in one sentence, my highly-subjective definition of a beautiful question is:
“An ambitious yet actionable question that can shift the way we perceive or think about something—and that might serve as a catalyst to bring about change.”
- For some real-world examples, check out They All Started with a Question on this site.
- To see other readers’s beautiful questions, visit What’s YOUR Beautiful Question.
- And think about whether you might be able to come up with your own beautiful question. Mine currently is: How might I spread the word about questioning, in as many ways and to as many receptive audiences as possible, but with a particular focus on education?
