If we for instance take, as an example, someone thoroughly explaining something which is clear to 99,9999% of the earths adult population don’t you think the remaining .0001% could come up with some? I get that this community is a place to allow people to ask questions they can’t or won’t ask elsewhere but I certainly feel stupid sometimes when I ask questions while attending courses etc.

So bottom line, how do you ask questions when you feel stupid?

  • Rubidium
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    41 year ago

    Exactly this. I am a teacher, and I always tell my students “There is no such thing as a stupid question as long as it seeks to clarify, or to deepen one’s understanding. Any question posed with the sincere desire to better understand something is welcome.”

    There are students who will ask questions because they weren’t attentively listening to my explanation (their peers always say something like “He just explained that”) — I will patiently explain it to them again while the rest of the class listens in (or tunes me out because the were listening and don’t need or want to hear it again.)

    I want to encourage them to ask questions whenever and where ever they encounter things they do not understand; I hope that this mindset encourages them to do so whether be at school, at work, or in their personal relationships.