Three Types of Questions
Three Types of Questions
3
Conflicting
Systems
1
One System
2
No System
Require evidence
and reasoning
within a system
call for
stating a
subjective preference
Require evidence
and reasoning
within multiple
systems
a subjective
opinion
better and
worse answers
cannot be
assessed
judgment
a correct
answer
knowledge
Questions of Procedure (established- or
one-system)- These include questions
with an established procedure or method
for finding the answer. These questions
are settled by facts, by definition, or both.
They are prominent in mathematics, as
well as the physical and biological
sciences
Examples of One-system
Questions
What is the boiling point of lead?
What is the size of this room?
What is the differential of this equation?
How does the hard drive on a computer
operate?
What is the sum of 659 and 979?
How is potato soup prepared, according
to established Polish tradition?
Questions of Preference (no
system)- Questions with as
many answers as there are
different human preferences
(a category in which
subjective taste rules).
Questions of Preference
• Would you rather have short hair or long hair?
• Or would you prefer that your head be shaved,
•
•
•
•
•
either completely or in some segments
Do you like to go to the opera?
Do you like to watch football on TV?
Do you prefer a flat pillow or a fluffy pillow?
Do you want a ring or a necklace?
Do you want to go outside now?
Questions of Judgment (conflictingsystems) - Questions requiring reasoning,
but with more than one arguable answer.
These are questions that make sense to
debate, questions with better-or-worse
answers (well-supported and reasoned or
poorly-supported and/or poorly-reasoned
answers).
With Questions of Judgment
(conflicting-systems), we are seeking
the best answer within a range of
possibilities. We evaluate answers to
such questions using universal intellectual
standards such as breadth, depth,
logicalness, and so forth. These questions
are predominant in the human disciplines
(history, philosophy, economics, sociology,
art…)
Questions Calling for Reasoned
Judgment
 Should assisted suicide be legalized?
 To what extent is welfare justifiable?
 How can we ensure long-term “health” of the environment






while also considering the economic impact of the
environmental decisions?
What philosophy of parenting makes best sense in the light of
our knowledge of child development?
To what extent is it morally justified to subject animals to pain
and suffering in experiments?
What can we do about the problem of education today?
What can we do about the problem of hunger in a world of
plenty?
What can we do about the problem of big money in politics?
How can we create a world in which critical thinking is a
fundamental social value?
To Determine Which of These Three
Types of Questions We Are Dealing With
(in Any Given Case) We Can Ask the
Following Questions:
 Are there relevant facts we need to consider?
 If yes, then either the facts alone settle the
question (and we are dealing with a question
of procedure), or
 the facts can be interpreted in different ways
(and the question is debatable).
 If there are no facts to consider, then it is a
matter of personal preference.
 If the facts settle the question, then it is a
“one-system” procedural question.
Teaching Students to Reason Through
Category Three Questions
 1) Write out a category 3 question within your content (question
requiring reasoned judgment) that is important for students to
learn to reason through.
 2) List the category 1 questions (one-system questions) students
would need to answer before addressing the category 3 question.
 3) Design a classroom activity or unit which focuses on a
category 3 question.
For example, you could take a chapter in the textbook, think of
the umbrella category 3 question (or any important category 3
question within the chapter) which that chapter answers. Have
students figure out the category 1 questions they must answer
prior to answering the category 3 question. Then they could
figure out the logic of the question by reasoning through the
elements of thought.
In general, what is the best way
to treat depression?
 What are some ways to treat depression that have
been proven effective with some people?
 Are there different types of depression?
 If so, what are the most common types, based on
current research in the field?
 What ways of treating depression have been
proven largely ineffective?
 Given the established ways of treating depression
(that have been proven to have some degree of
effectiveness), which ones have proven to be the
most effective?
 Are some types of depression treated better with
one method than other methods? If so, explain.
What is the best solution for reducing the
number of people who take illegal drugs for
fun?
 What are some of the variables that have been
shown to lead people to take drugs?
 At what age do most people begin taking drugs?
 Of those proven strategies, what are the costs
involved in using each one of them on a broad
scale?
 What are some of the obvious social, political,
and economic barriers to using these strategies?
What are the best methods for reducing the amount
of waste currently being transported to landfills?
 What types of wastes are currently being
transported to landfills?
 How much of each type is being transported to
landfills?
 How long does it take for each of these to
disintegrate?
 What are some proven alternative methods for
effectively handling wastes besides transporting it
to landfills?
 What are some clearly identifiable political and
ethical barriers to finding alternative ways of
getting rid of waste?