Inquiry and the Problem of Answering

Abstract

To inquire into some question Q is to try to answer Q . To understand inquiry, we must understand what constitutes success in this endeavor. What it is to answer Q ? The issue has been systematically neglected in philosophical work on inquiry. It raises a real puzzle. A judgment with a content p that actually settles Q doesn't necessarily constitute answering Q . To answer Q , a judgment must have additional significance connecting p with Q . It's not clear what gives a judgment such significance in inquiry. This article introduces this unsolved “problem of answering,” explains its difficulty, and draws a comparison with the problem of inference.