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‘If you’re just interested in answers, you are missing out’: philosopher Lani Watson on the power of asking questions

The author and academic explains how an open, questioning mindset can bring people with opposing views closer together – and even change history Asking a question can change your mood, and having a questioning mindset can change your life – or, as the philosopher Lani Watson, an honorary fellow at the University of Edinburgh, is more likely to put it, “create change in your life”. When you live in an answer-oriented

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#1428
First seen
21 Aug 2026, 10:34 UTC
Last checked
24 Aug 2026, 05:54 UTC
Version history
1 version
Current fingerprint
1c6a13567861...630b1e
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Publisher layer

Recorded article metadata

Publisher
The Guardian
Country
England / United Kingdom
Source published
21 Aug 2026, 10:30 UTC
Source updated
No update timestamp supplied
Byline
Zoe Williams
Section
Philosophy
Source-supplied excerpt
The author and academic explains how an open, questioning mindset can bring people with opposing views closer together – and even change history Asking a question can change your mood, and having a questioning mindset can change your life – or, as the philosopher Lani Watson, an honorary fellow at the University of Edinburgh, is more likely to put it, “create change in your life”. When you live in an answer-oriented
02

Change layer

Observed version timeline

  1. 1
    Initial capture

    ‘If you’re just interested in answers, you are missing out’: philosopher Lani Watson on the power of asking questions

    The author and academic explains how an open, questioning mindset can bring people with opposing views closer together – and even change history Asking a question can change your mood, and having a questioning mindset can change your life – or, as the philosopher Lani Watson, an honorary fellow at the University of Edinburgh, is more likely to put it, “create change in your life”. When you live in an answer-oriented

    Changed fieldstitlebylinedescriptionTextcontentTextsourcePublishedAtsourceUpdatedAtsectionimageUrltags
    Version SHA-256
    1c6a13567861...630b1e
    Capture SHA-256
    8f62dbc3e9dd...4a2377
03

Interpretation layer

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Publisher categories are copied from source metadata. Machine signals report observable wording or format and do not determine truth, intent, ethics, or wrongdoing.

  • machine content-type Reported news observable-rules-v1 / 70% rule confidence
  • publisher category Life and style rss-category
  • publisher category Philosophy rss-category
  • publisher category Philosophy books rss-category
04

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05

Evidence layer

Capture provenance

Capture ID
#809
Observed
21 Aug 2026, 10:34 UTC
HTTP result
200 / parsed
Raw payload
461,021 bytes, private gzip evidence
Collector
news-ledger/0.1
Public boundary
metadata and excerpt