Do you ever ask question if you know the answer?

[prplchknz]

I do this to see if I am correct in thinking I know the answer/ a chance to be proven wrong.

 

[mlittrell]

i do this to see others opinions. and i do it quite a bit

 

[Totenkindly]

I do this all the time just to make sure that I know what the other person is thinking. For me this is a good way to start a conversation since my interest are narrow and I usually know more about the topic then the other person. In many cases I am interested what other person is thinking so this is the easiest way to check it out and to verify what person knows/doesn't know next to my knowledge. People are usually open about this, but is it because they don't know what I am doing?

I do this now sometimes. I do it to get them to talk and so I can assess where they are at -- which is what you said.

But I also do it to create communication and put people at ease. It's one way of building relationship.

And I actually DO learn things, I certainly don't know everything and sometimes people offer special insights or perspective shifts I had overlooked.

People might realize what you are doing, or they might not. Sometimes they'll just read it as an opportunity to communicate and share that you are creating for you both.

Why is doing this is such a big problem for some people?

For me?

I used to feel like it was a lie, and the person I was talking to would think I was stupid or didn't know as much as I did. (This was partly a pride thing on my part; and I got over it to some degree.)

 

[Darjur]

Roughly a good quarter of the questions I ask someone are the questions I already know an answer to.

I also tend to ask questions that I do not expect anyone to answer.

That being said, a lot of people hate talking to me.

 

[Virtual ghost]

Resurrection.

 

[ReadingRainbows]

Yes I ask those. I also reframe from asking a question that I do not want to know the answer too.
Sometimes I usually ask questions to clarify or get deeper into something.

 

[miss fortune]

yes... when I hope that I'm wrong and want to hear another answer

 

[Lex Talionis]

No, unless I am simply amusing myself. There are two reasons for this:

1) It is a waste of time.

2) I don't truly care much for the responses other people give to a question whose answer I have already decided upon or will decide upon, unless their answers have or may have a destructive impact on my own stance, in which case I attempt to combat them; if the subject is of any significance, of course. Most of the time, the responses given by others only serve to irritate me, as they are far more often than not predicated on false assumptions and poor logic.

 

[Lex Talionis]

yes... when I hope that I'm wrong and want to hear another answer

Why not contemplate your ideas more thoroughly and read philosophical works? If you do this, you will almost never need to ask somebody else to give you their inferior analysis, and you will almost never be wrong. If you are wrong or uncertain, then you simply turn to the great (mostly INTJ) philosophers or scientists of the past, who have already clarified the state of the universe for us.

You may read articles and books written by others in the hopes of deriving a minuscule amount of enlightenment, which does not require you to "hear" an answer.

 

[miss fortune]

I'm speaking of personal matters... like second opinions from doctors, or "did he really mean that?"

for those... especially the last one... other people are MUCH more useful than books!

 

[Lex Talionis]

I'm speaking of personal matters... like second opinions from doctors, or "did he really mean that?"

for those... especially the last one... other people are MUCH more useful than books!

Well, that is simple common sense, by which I mean that any reasonable individual would do it. Obviously, when it comes to practical matters, such as knowledge in a specific area where the learning curve is steep, one may ask for an "expert opinion." However, notice the keyword "expert" in the term. All knowledge that is not tied to an immediate need, or is not difficult to acquire, can be learned by oneself.

 

[Rainne]

I sometimes ask questions I already know the answer to in an effort to make the person feel comfortable and talk.

Ex:

Me: You got a new car?
Person: Yeah! *rants about the car*

 

[Lex Talionis]

I find the above approach annoying. When somebody asks me something that is evident, especially in regards to something personal, it comes off as highly redundant.

 

[miss fortune]

I ask other people's personal opinions for hope that I overlooked something in my assessments if I don't like my conclusion... not everyone operates fully based on textbook facts... I trust people... why's there something so messed up about that?

and I doubt that I'd ever end up chatting with you lex... you'd shoot me down so you wouldn't have to put up with my annoying questions

 

[Saslou]

I enjoy asking questions .. I am sometimes worried i'll be looked at like an idiot but i am just curious, afterall just because i believe i know the answer doesn't necessarily mean that the answer i have is correct.

It's interesting to get other perspectives also and if they elaborate then all the better.

 

[spin-1/2-nuclei]

I do this all the time just to make sure that I know what the other person is thinking.
For me this is a good way to start a conversation since my interest are narrow and I usually know more about the topic then the other person.
In many cases I am interested what other person is thinking so this is the easiest way to check it out and to verify what person knows/doesn't know next to my knowledge. People are usually open about this, but is it because they don't know what I am doing?



Why is doing this is such a big problem for some people?

Huh, I can't say that I've ever done that... if people are getting upset by it it's probably because they feel like you're toying with them. Why is it so important to have a measuring stick of your knowledge compared to theirs? I can certainly understand why this is necessary in a professional situation, but I typically just come right out and ask in that case. If you're doing it in casual/social situation then it probably comes off as condescending or disingenuous... that's my opinion anyway..