I agree that it’s the height of bad manners for someone to say “you’re asking the wrong question,” without explaining what they mean.

However…

A question can be uninterpretable. It can be confusing. It can hide assumptions. It can be leading. But in what sense can it be wrong? — bert1

In the sense that the question already carries a view with it. Those hidden assumptions can indeed be wrong.

If your interlocutor explains this, as I think people here tend to do (correct me if I’m wrong), I think it’s fine.

Sure that's fair enough when it happens. And this is an expression of my apoplexy, not really a comment on moderation policy which I have no problem with.

Having calmed down a bit I'll try to be more articulate. When I read "That's the wrong question" what I hear is often:

"I refuse to engage with you. In my conceptual world, your question does not really arise, it has no meaning. I will not even entertain your perspective. I will only have a conversation with you on my terms, and if we are to communicate meaningfully, you must adopt my conceptual framework first. I don't negotiate with terrorists."

Am I reading too much into this?

Am I reading to much into this? — bert1

I guess not, because despite what I said above, I have seen that attitude before around these parts.

It sometimes annoys me, especially when it appears to be a ploy to change the subject or the perspective. I'd like to tell such respondents: If you want to ask "the right" question, go ask it in your thread. If you don't like the way this one was asked, either don't respond, or ask for clarification.

On the other side, I have often asked for clarification only to get further obfuscation, so that's not always fruitful. One can't always stay on topic, either, because conversations branch off and meander all over the place. Maybe some forbearance the vagaries of other posters is required for peace of mind.

Am I reading too much into this? — bert1

Yes, but I enjoyed reading your take on it.

Anyway, I don't get it. How can a question be wrong? — bert1

Oh it can very much be wrong, say if the question cannot be answered with anything that isn't contradictory. The realization that a question is a wrong one is a step towards asking a better one, one that makes different assumption.
Occasionally the path must be taken: the realization that the question is wrong, before one might accept a better question. Hence the immediate posting of the better question might not be indicated since it will be quickly dismissed.

For example, one might ask "Why am I me?". It seems actually an absurd improbability that I would find myself to be top-of-food-chain species on a planet at the peak of a gilded age with the education and financial means to be able to waste time seeking truth on a forum. There's a lot more bugs than people. Why do I not find myself being a bug? There's a lot of things that vastly out-populate bugs.

That question ("why am I me"), only after extensive reflection, seems to be the wrong question. But asking the right question first requires identifying that the prior question is wrong, say by identifying premises it implies. Better to first question those. In this case, it presumes that something won a sort of lottery in getting to be me. Take that premise away and the question becomes a tautology, not an improbability at all, and thus still not really a question any more than asking why 2 isn't 13.

That question ("why am I me"), only after extensive reflection, seems to be the wrong question. But asking the right question first requires identifying that the prior question is wrong, say by identifying premises it implies. — noAxioms

So, if someone asks such a question, you don't need to answer it. If you do want to discuss some aspect of the same subject from the perspective of [what you think is] the right question, you don't need to start by antagonizing the original poster by telling him "You asked the wrong question." You could, instead, say "Shouldn't we ask first....?" or "Can you identify the premises you used?"
I usually say "I don't know what you mean by...." so they can either clarify their position or ignore me and go on their own way, in which case, I have the option of accepting their vague premise or exiting the discussion.

you don't need to start by antagonizing the original poster by telling him "You asked the wrong question." You could, instead, say "Shouldn't we ask first....?" or "Can you identify the premises you used?" — Vera Mont

OK, so you're arguing from the standpoint of tact. You feel the ""Shouldn't we ask first....?" is a more polite way to convey the exact same thing, which it probably is.
Kennedy did that: “Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country”.
As for asking for premises used, the asker of the question is rarely aware that the assumptions are premises at all.

A better example, more based in fact than opinion, comes from the twins paradox.
"Why does time go slower for the twin in the rocket?". That's definitely a wrong question since the explicit premise (that time goes slower for him) is blatantly wrong. But saying "you asked the wrong question" and then not elaborating is indeed not helpful, even if entirely true. The better question would be to ask why the one twin is no longer the same age as the other when reunited, which is the whole point of the exercise.

I'm not disagreeing with anything you state. I was just answering the OP's question about how a question could be wrong. The twin question above is such an example.

It comes up a lot on the forum. Someone asks a question. And someone else tells them it's the wrong question. If I had time to make this a better OP I would look up examples, and may do that yet. It would be instructive, perhaps, to look at specific examples. But for now, I'm sure you will all recognise that this is a thing, telling someone they've asked the wrong question.

It always annoys me, and I go to my safe space to recover from the trauma. I don't have a wank though, or 'read a book' in private. Anyway, I don't get it. How can a question be wrong? A statement can be wrong. A proposition can be wrong. A belief can be wrong. An attitude can be morally wrong. — bert1

First, I am a strong, and often vocal, believer that the guy who starts the discussion gets to set the terms. That being said, there are many questions for which the best answer is "Here's the question you should have asked." I may be one of the evil posters you're talking about. I have a strong interest in, and strong feelings about, metaphysics. As I see it, most of the disagreements and misunderstandings here on the forum arise from people mistaking metaphysical questions for questions of fact. When someone asks a question I regard as wrongheaded from that perspective, I often point it out. Generally, although not always, that's as far as I take it. I try not to distract from the thread or send it off on a tangent.

If you want to ask "the right" question, go ask it in your thread. — Vera Mont

Just a note - the moderators are generally helpful in stopping people from shanghaiing a discussion if the original poster asks them to.

Loaded questions, double-barrelled questions, complex questions—all could be considered fallacious.

Just a note - the moderators are generally helpful in stopping people from shanghaiing a discussion if the original poster asks them to. — T Clark

Yes. I simply meant that "That's the wrong question" is often a way of changing to the subject, or turning a discussion in direction other than the OP intended.
And, Yes, I am generally approaching this from the POV of tact and good order.

Loaded questions, double-barrelled questions, complex questions—all could be considered fallacious. — NOS4A2

Yes, and they all can be analyzed or broken down into logical components, without outright rejection. If I consider a question unproductive, I don't respond to it.

How can a question be wrong? — bert1

"Why does everyone hate me?" "Why do the rich always get to be happy and not struggle?" "How well did my excellent, perfect example clarify things for you?"

Questions are only as good as the premises they're based on. If a premise is biased (like "all rich people are happy"), the questions that arise will be equally biased.

So some questions are better than others.

Whilst we should be allowed to ask anything at all in theory, not all questions hold the same relevance or lead to useful answers. The question-answer complex has a certain degree of quality.

By asking a question you inadvertently identify your biased reasoning to others.

If someone says you "asked the wrong question" either A). They are biased, and consider your genuine, well thought out and measured question as absurd or B) you asked a silly question in light of their more informed, higher level of understanding and knowledge.

In either case, it can be clarified through patience, tolerance and good reasoning through discussion.

"Why is the sky solid?" is an absurd question as it demonstrates a total lack of understanding of the properties/qualities of the sky.

"Why is the sky blue" on the other hand is a better question as it aligns with collective perception.

An even better question again is "why does the sky appear blue?" because in this case the questioner has enough knowledge to know that the sky isn't in fact blue yet isn't quite sure as to the exact mechanism/physics behind that.

So in essence, questions are based on prior knowledge. The more accurate the prior knowledge, the better the question that can be asked.

A question can be uninterpretable. It can be confusing. It can hide assumptions. It can be leading. But in what sense can it be wrong? — bert1

Perhaps the respondent is trying to say that you have made a Category Error, hence any assertions you make are "not even wrong". That kind of put-down is usually reserved for science vs pseudo-science arguments. :smile:

Not Even Wrong :
Not even wrong refers to any statement, argument, or explanation that can be neither correct nor incorrect, because it fails to meet the criteria by which correctness and incorrectness are determined.
https://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Not_even_wrong

category error :
the error of assigning to something a quality or action that can properly be assigned to things only of another category, for example, treating abstract concepts as though they had a physical location.

As I see it, most of the disagreements and misunderstandings here on the forum arise from people mistaking metaphysical questions from questions of fact. When someone asks a question I regard as wrongheaded from that perspective, I often point it out. — T Clark

:clap: :up:

Loaded questions, double-barrelled questions, complex questions—all could be considered fallacious. — NOS4A2

:up:

So long as my interlocator proposes an alternative yet better question, I'm fine with it (re: poll).

If I had time to make this a better OP I would look up examples — bert1

I'm happy to make up for your laxity by providing one from an ongoing discussion with @Constance:

That, of course, is the wrong question. — Banno

It's the wrong question when it makes presumptions that are not tenable.

@bert1, have you stoped beating your wife?

In effect you want people to be forced not to point out erroneous or fraught questions. You are asking for etiquette to overrule logic.

Get a thicker skin.

I think I never called a question wrong, but I consider these the ultimately wrong questions:
- Why do we die?
- What is our purpose in life?
- Why are we here?
- Who am I?
etc.

The wrong question for me is the question that anthropomorphizes fate, the universe, humans, yes, even humans.

There is a short explanation to why people ask these questions, but I shan't go into that.

There is no qualifier for existential questions.

There is none, in an absolute sense, but if you go by a certain philosophy, or rather, a belief system, then they can be deemed wrong.

But ultimately, you're right.

There is no qualifier for existential questions — Shawn

Who am I under normal circumstances?

Who thinks it's OK to say "That's the wrong question"? — bert1

It's OK, but with elaboration. Namely: WHY is it a "wrong question"?

And questions are often wrong -- or nonsensical. "Why do things happen?" Seems like a question. But if you can't even imagine a coherent answer, than it's not really a question.

I often think there are wrong questions, almost as often as I think definitions need to be stated more clearly at the outset (see talk about "God" or "capitalism" or "science" or...just about anything).

I also think we should grow thicker skins.

I'm fine with it. It's fairly apparent that people sometimes ask incoherent questions and often the question we think we want answered rests on assumptions which need to be questioned. Pointing this out and helping to reformulate a question can be done respectfully and can be a useful contribution.

"Why am I me?" — noAxioms

That's a great example. In trying to discuss this, metaphysical positions are elucidated. It's interesting that the question makes sense to some people and not others. But refusing to address the issues with a 'wrong question' shuts down the interesting stuff.

"Why does time go slower for the twin in the rocket?" — noAxioms

"It doesn't go slower for the twin in the rocket." Engage with the subject matter, no need to shut down the conversation with a dismissive 'wrong question'

"Why does everyone hate me?" — Benj96

"They don't really, they're all jealous of you." Again, engaging with the subject.

"Why do the rich always get to be happy and not struggle?" — Benj96

"They don't. Some rich people do struggle..." Again, no need to dismiss the question

"How well did my excellent, perfect example clarify things for you?" — Benj96

"Not very well actually." Perfectly possible to engage with the subject.

Perhaps the respondent is trying to say that you have made a Category Error, hence any assertions you make are "not even wrong". That kind of put-down is usually reserved for science vs pseudo-science arguments. — Gnomon

Yes, this is the kind of thing I was getting at. Saying "Yeah, the rules you play by are the wrong rules. My rules are the right rules. Your question doesn't make sense in my rules, so ask me another one that plays my game not yours." This is a dick move that shuts down conversation. It's perfectly fine to challenge the rules, obviously. But that's not what 'Wrong question' does. That's a refusal to discuss not an opening to discuss. It about power not philosophy.

"Why is the sky solid?" — Benj96

"It isn't solid. But perhaps you mean something different by the word 'solid' than I." Perfectly possible to engage with the meat of the matter.

have you stopped beating your wife? — Banno

"I never started." is surely the appropriate response.

"Why do things happen?" Seems like a question. — Mikie

It is a question. But maybe it doesn't have an answer. It certainly has a number of possible senses.

--------------

None of the above examples invite a 'wrong question' response. Most of them simply have a false assumption embedded in them. The assumption can be wrong, in which case the appropriate response is to tackle that.

What 'wrong question' is often trying to do is make a meta-move. It's to say 'I will not engage with you until you adopt a broad meta-view that is consistent with mine.' It's like refusing to reward bad behaviour with any attention. It's not just disagreeing over some subject matter, it's refusing to acknowledge the existence of the other person's point of view. It's going over to a chessboard where someone has set up the pieces, and saying, "What are you talking about 'make a move as white'. No. I'll be the car and give me the dice."

Yes, and they all can be analyzed or broken down into logical components, without outright rejection. — Vera Mont

Yup

In effect you want people to be forced not to point out erroneous or fraught questions. You are asking for etiquette to overrule logic. — Banno

But there's no logic to 'wrong question'. Questions aren't the kind of things that can be wrong. None of the examples offered have shown that they are as far as I can tell. I'm not the fascist here, it's you. You're always pinching peoples dictionaries and swapping out the game.

Pop Quiz: (who, what, where, when, why)

1) Who are atoms?

2) What is north of the north pole?

3) Where is tomorrow?

4) When is timelessness?

5) Why is the sun happy?

1) who are atoms?

2) What is north of the north pole?

3) Where is is tomorrow?

4) When is timelessness?

5) Why is the sun happy? — punos

I like these questions.

1) Joel, Barney and Ilsa. Unfortunately you've asked a panpsychist.

2) Nothing, the north pole defines what is north.

3) In my imagination.

4) It's impossible to specify a time in eternity. In time, one thing happens after another and you can talk about one event relative to another. In eternity, everything happens at once. So maybe the answer is 'now'.

5) I don't know if it is happy. I am interested in whether or not it has an inner life in general, and what behaviour might be a sign of happiness.

So you havn't stopped beating your wife?

1) Joel, Barney and Ilsa. Unfortunately you've asked a panpsychist.

2) Nothing, the north pole defines what is north.

3) In my imagination.

4) It's impossible to specify a time in eternity. In time, one thing happens after another and you can talk about one event relative to another. In eternity, everything happens at once. So maybe the answer is 'now'.

5) I don't know if it is happy. I am interested in whether or not it has an inner life in general, and what behaviour might be a sign of happiness. — bert1

I like those answers. :100:

So you havn't stopped beating your wife? — Banno

Wrong question