Quora and Facebook Questions
Somewhere between the Economics and the Business Section, I had the realization that we’ve dedicated a good amount of time to trying to figure each other out. As I looked out over the stacks of books in the Social Sciences and Philosophy section, I wondered if we’re in fact getting closer to figuring one another out, or just flapping our arms around.
A book represents an exploration of a question. Do the best books pursue good questions or provide great answers? My three favorite books, Moneyball, The Great Gatsby, and The Lords of Finance, each started by asking a good question:
1) How were the cash-strapped A’s able to defeat their wealthier competitors at baseball?
2) How does the past influence our present condition?
3) What caused the Great Depression?
A good question provides the spring board for the creation of something greater than the question itself– a perspective, a contribution to the sum of human knowledge. What happens when our knowledge contribution channel shifts?
What if instead of pen and paper, questions start being answered by way of keyboard and forum. What if instead of one author, there become many. What if the answer changes over time– as in many cases it should. What if you remove the middleman– the paper, the ink, the cover– and go straight to the discussion and the debate? Will Quora and Facebook Questions bring us any closer to helping us figure one another out, or allow us to flap our arms a little faster?