"(There's) no such thing as a stupid question" is a common phrase, that states that the quest for
knowledge
Knowledge can be defined as awareness of facts or as practical skills, and may also refer to familiarity with objects or situations. Knowledge of facts, also called propositional knowledge, is often defined as true belief that is distinc ...
includes failure, and that just because one person may know less than others, they should not be afraid to ask rather than pretend they already know. In many cases, multiple people may not know, but are too afraid to ask the "stupid question"; the one who asks the question may in fact be doing a service to those around them.
Origins
"There are no stupid questions"
Carl Sagan
Carl Edward Sagan (; ; November 9, 1934December 20, 1996) was an American astronomer, planetary scientist, cosmologist, astrophysicist, astrobiologist, author, and science communicator. His best known scientific contribution is research on ext ...
, in his work ''
The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark'' said: "There are naïve questions, tedious questions, ill-phrased questions, questions put after inadequate self-criticism. But every question is a cry to understand the world. There is no such thing as a dumb question".
A 1970
Dear Abby
Dear Abby is an American advice column founded in 1956 by Pauline Phillips under the pen name "Abigail Van Buren" and carried on today by her daughter, Jeanne Phillips, who now owns the legal rights to the pen name.
History
According to Pauline ...
column in ''
The Milwaukee Sentinel
The ''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel'' is a daily morning broadsheet printed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where it is the primary newspaper. It is also the largest newspaper in the state of Wisconsin, where it is widely distributed. It is currently o ...
'' said: "There is no such thing as a stupid question if it's sincere. Better to ask and risk appearing stupid than to continue on your ignorant way and make a stupid mistake.
"There is no such thing as a stupid question, only stupid answers".
''Presentation Skills That Will Take You to the Top'' says that within the business world, the adage holds true. The book adds "a question might be uninformed, tangential, or seemingly irrelevant, but, whether the presenter perceives it to be stupid or not, every audience member has every right to ask any sort of question".
''In the Line of Fire: How to Handle Tough Questions – When It Counts'' suggests that there are no stupid questions, rather there are "tangential questions", and that these should be dealt with swiftly and effectively.
''Designing Field Studies for Biodiversity Conservation'' says "there's no such thing as a stupid question, as long as it ends in a question mark".
Or as ''
South Park
''South Park'' is an American animated sitcom created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone and developed by Brian Graden for Comedy Central. The series revolves around four boys Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormickand th ...
s
Mr. Garrison
Herbert Garrison, formerly known as Janet Garrison, Ethan F Garrison, and the President, is a fictional character and occasional antagonist on the American animated television series '' South Park''. The character is voiced by cocreator Trey ...
once taught his class, “Remember, there are no stupid questions, just stupid people.”
"There are stupid questions"
The article ''Ink Out Loud: There's no such thing as a stupid question,' and other ailments lavender cures''
defines stupid questions as:
* Questions asked by someone who already knows the answer but is trolling the person they are asking.
* Questions of which the answer should be painfully obvious to any person with a pulse who has lived on this Earth for more than a decade.
* Questions that can be answered on one's own with complete certainty. After all, information found online or from other sources can be wrong, so it never hurts to check.
* Questions that include ridiculous or hypothetical assumptions.
* Those questions that have already been answered, but the asker was not listening or paying attention.
Questions cited as stupid that were asked by the media pool at the
2000 Super Bowl are "
Ray Lewis
Raymond Anthony Lewis Jr. (born May 15, 1975) is an American former professional football player who played as a middle linebacker with the Baltimore Ravens for his entire 17-year career in the National Football League (NFL). He played co ...
? Yeah, Ray, how long have you been surrounded by thugs?", "If you were a tree, what kind of tree would you be?", and "Can you name
the Backstreet Boys
Backstreet Boys (often abbreviated as BSB) are an American vocal group consisting of Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, AJ McLean, and cousins Brian Littrell and Kevin Richardson. Lou Pearlman formed the group in 1993 in Orlando, Florida.
The gr ...
?"
''Breaking into the Game Industry'' argues that the adage (and the related one "the only stupid question is the one that is never asked") is only relevant for the classroom and that in the real world when you want to try to impress someone, there are many stupid questions one can ask.
''School House Diary: Reflections of a Retired Educator'' notes that teachers are fond of saying this phrase, and suggests that while they themselves want to call out the stupid questions, they fall back on the adage in order to prevent the child from being ridiculed.
See also
*
Ask a Stupid Question Day
Ask a Stupid Question Day is a holiday that is sometimes celebrated in the United States, usually by school students and teachers. Although Ask a Stupid Question Day's default date is September 28, in practice it is usually observed on the last sc ...
References
{{Reflist, 2
English phrases