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Richard Walker

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A pupil went to the Abbess one day.

"Reverend Mother", she enquired, "Does every question have an answer?".

The Abbess beamed at her. "Does every answer have a question?".


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Richard Walker

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No.

Yes.

Richard Walker

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Well that's what I think anyway.

Otherwise, how could it be a question?

But thinking on, it's harder than that.

Does anyone else have a view here?

Me in a rare cheerful mood

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You've grappled with this before and, no doubt, will again.  That in itself suggests one answer.  One that is right for you.

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Wittgenstein would have some fun with the first one, I suspect.  What does it mean?

Does "an answer" mean "one right answer", "only one answer", "at least one answer", "an acceptable answer in a particular unstated context".  The question itself raises more questions.

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Regarding the second, doesn't that depend on the point of anything?  It may be there are no real answers because it is only us who ask the questions, and we choose our own valid answers.

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You bugger, you've done it to me again!  Sitting in the dark, thinking hard and deeply on a sunny Sunday afternoon, because I want to, because of a question you asked.

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if all the questions have answers, there's no point asking them any more.