Questions: Brief Books about Big Ideas

A short but engaging look at how questions shape our thinking.

Why do we ask questions? In Questions, Pia Lauritzen explores the philosophy behind questions and probes how they function as both a development tool and a bridge to understanding. She speculates that the question is the essential characteristic that distinguishes human beings from animals and that it is the key to understanding why we think and act as we do. Basic human phenomena like surprise and doubt, ignorance and curiosity-which all articulate a questioning mode of dealing with the world-may well be the reason why human beings developed language. Yet the diverse ways that different languages and cultures treat questions reflects and reinforces crucial cultural differences. Ultimately, Lauritzen argues, the question is the key to understanding the inner logic that links all major themes in the history of Western philosophy.

In Reflections, a series copublished with Denmark's Aarhus University Press, scholars deliver 60-page reflections on key concepts. These books present unique insights on a wide range of topics that entertain and enlighten readers with exciting discoveries and new perspectives.

Pia Lauritzen is a Danish philosopher and cofounder of Qvest.