Why, how come, what for?

Mr Dobelli, in this highly complex world, from which we tend to expect answers, do we still need more questions?

When you think of GPT or Google – these are all answer machines, but not question machines. We lack questions, not answers. I think questions are more valuable than answers.

And why is that?

If you merely consume what already exists, no doors open. But when you ask questions, alternative possibilities become visible that you wouldn’t otherwise see.

Do you like books of questions? This is now the third one.

Yes, the first was ‘Who am I?’, then came ‘Questions for Life’, which was a column in ‘Stern‘ ten years ago. I’ve been collecting the questions for this one over the past ten years. Perhaps there’ll be another one in ten years’ time.

What effect do questions have on us? What happens to us – beyond the answer we expect?

That depends on what sort of questions they are. There are ironic, very personal questions that you simply can’t answer. But they do something to you. If, for example, I ask you at what amount you would be open to bribery – 100 euros, 1,000, 10,000, 100,000, one million, ten million, a hundred million or a billion – then you quickly realise: There’s a limit somewhere. It’s different for everyone. But the question forces you to admit to yourself that you’re open to bribery. And that admission alone changes the way you think.

So, do questions make us reflect on ourselves?

That’s right. Or at least we hope to learn something about ourselves. Perhaps we won’t learn anything at all if we don’t answer honestly. There are questions that can be approached in two ways: you can answer them for yourself, or you can use them as a parlour game. Fifteen minutes at the table, asking each other questions. That’s naturally different from answering them on your own. Then you’re often more honest with yourself. Originally, questions were actually a parlour game, in the salons of the 17th and 18th centuries, particularly in Paris and London. There, they were asked to get to know one another and to entertain. My questions are intended to be of a more personal nature, but many people deliberately use them as a starting point for conversation.

So it’s more than just small talk.

Exactly. You don’t talk about the weather or trivial matters, but about something that runs deeper. That immediately changes the quality of a conversation.

You learn something about the other person – and about yourself.

Yes, that’s true. You very quickly realise how someone thinks, what’s important to them, and where their boundaries lie. And at the same time, you also realise how you yourself respond.

Are there questions we should keep asking ourselves?

The most important question is about one’s life goals. Are there life goals that contradict one another? Are there even meaningful life goals? Or am I pursuing meaningless ones? There are goals that simply don’t fit together. You want to look forever young and, at the same time, live as long as possible – that’s not possible. These are contradictory goals. But there are also goals that make sense, that are viable. Ultimately, how you lead your life stems from this question. ( … )

→ You can read the full interview in the new rampstyle #38 ‘Just for the Plot’.

(Now available in German)