Questions! They can unnerve us, cause us to doubt, and force us to recognize our lack of knowledge. We can sometimes avoid them because they make us THINK! In our recent Arts of Language podcast, Episode 484, Andrew Pudewa encourages, “The question is the beginning of pursuit.” He and Julie Walker discussed famous questions from famous people, highlighting great thinkers and their thoughts. Indeed, when faced squarely, questions lead to answers, understanding, clarity, and even invention!
Galileo Galilei, Isaac Newton, Thomas Edison, and Albert Einstein are just a few great scientists who observed the world around them, posed questions, and then acted on their findings. Men and women of science pondered “What is the universe made of?” “How did life begin?” “What makes us human?” They then began to pose more specific questions such as “What would the sky look like if Earth is rotating?” and, “What happens when I drop two different weight objects at the same time?” With their scientific method, they observed, questioned, and then framed hypotheses, which they chased until able to draw conclusions and report. While these questions led individuals down some winding paths, we now have a greater understanding of our universe and its laws and know better how to interact with it and what to expect.
William Wilberforce questioned the British slave trade, asking Parliament how they could not take action upon hearing evidence of its savage practices. Annie Sullivan hounded teachers, doctors, and Helen Keller’s parents, asking them why Helen could not learn language, be educated, and learn to act with dignity. Tending to the injured during the Crimean War, Florence Nightingale questioned the medical practices of her day, and the reforms she pushed forward led to modern nursing. Pontius Pilate asked, “What is truth?” Martin Luther beseeched, “Can salvation be bought?” John Locke and Thomas Paine wrestled with “What are man’s basic human rights?” Thankfully, our history books are full of men and women who examined the status quo, questioned it, and set us forward on better paths.
Many of life’s best questions are hunted down in great and famous novels. Mary Shelley’s nightmares prompted her to question the scientific exploration of the 1800s in her book Frankenstein. Jane Austen’s thoughts on England’s landed gentry in the nineteenth century were clear as she questioned and critiqued their way of life in her novels. Upton Sinclair pushed against the practices of the meat industry of the early 1900s in The Jungle. A bright light was shown on totalitarianism with George Orwell’s 1984. We read memoirs of people who followed different lines of questions, and we hope that by the end of their lives, they understand our purpose and will pass it along. As we read, our minds are whirring along with the author, observing, questioning, analyzing, and interpreting.
At IEW, we hope that the famous questions from famous thinkers inspire our students! May they not be afraid to spend time alone in contemplation, puzzling over glorious questions. Each of our nine units is designed to model questioning as it is only by asking questions that students can think through the task before them and then make a plan for completing it. The winners of our recent IEW Writing Contest posed and answered many serious questions. You can read their essays in the July edition of our Magnum Opus Magazine. Additionally, a few IEW “graduates” may be on their way to becoming quite famous! In our “Where are they now?” blog series, you can read about several budding authors who have honed their observation and questioning skills into novels!
Where are they now? Megan House: Journalist and Dance Teacher, here
Where are they now? Kristianne Hassman: Student and Author, here
Where are they now? Jemma Swift: Author of Forever Riders, here
Where are they now? Ryan Cardinale: Author and Administrator, here
Where are they now? Michael Megelsh: Author, Instructor, Historian, here
Where are they now? Taylor Bennett: Porch Swing Girl, here
When explored fully, questions clarify our beliefs, help us to interpret and understand what is around us, allow us to recognize and then find what we lack, and lead us to apply that knowledge to the betterment of ourselves and our fellow man.
by Katie Eades
