# Unanwserable Questions. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 18, 2003, 8:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unanwserable-questions/213875 "2003-11-18T08:49:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![the\_duke\_69](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/48db29/32.png) [@the\_duke\_69](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_duke_69)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2003, 8:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unanwserable-questions/213875/1 "2003-11-18T08:49:36Z")
Are there any other questions that are in a sense unawnserable other than “What do you want?” and “Who are you?” This is more of a philisophical argument between a friend and I. and those are the only two question that we have determined to be truely unanwserable. thanks for any input. (side note, didnt know where this went so mod please feel free to move acordingly.) ---
**Author:** ![Major\_Feelgud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3be4f8/32.png) [@Major\_Feelgud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Major_Feelgud)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2003, 8:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unanwserable-questions/213875/2 "2003-11-18T08:54:39Z")
Who wants to know? ---
**Author:** ![Small\_Clanger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@Small\_Clanger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Small_Clanger)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2003, 10:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unanwserable-questions/213875/3 "2003-11-18T10:30:28Z")
Why is there _stuff_? I think that’s the biggie. ---
**Author:** ![Cugel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cugel/32/1199_2.png) [@Cugel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cugel)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2003, 10:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unanwserable-questions/213875/4 "2003-11-18T10:35:31Z")
Why is up? ---
**Author:** ![Shrinking\_Violet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@Shrinking\_Violet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shrinking_Violet)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2003, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unanwserable-questions/213875/5 "2003-11-18T10:41:21Z")
But surely there are a _gazillion_ unanswerable questions … like … How many leaves did the lettuce have, which sat next to the one you’re eating on the supermarket shelf? What will be the biggest-selling record of 2005? What happened to the leftover wood after your desk was made? How many peas has that woman’s husband eaten in his lifetime? Why did Michael Jackson do it?? 😃 Julie ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2003, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unanwserable-questions/213875/6 "2003-11-18T10:57:16Z")
How many unanswerable questions are there? ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2003, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unanwserable-questions/213875/7 "2003-11-18T12:19:16Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Shrinking Violet \* > \*\*But surely there are a _gazillion_ unanswerable questions … like … > > How many leaves did the lettuce have, which sat next to the one you’re eating on the supermarket shelf? > > What will be the biggest-selling record of 2005? > > What happened to the leftover wood after your desk was made? > > How many peas has that woman’s husband eaten in his lifetime? > > Why did Michael Jackson do it?? 😃 > > Julie \*\* All these questions are answerable. Just not by you (or me) right now. ---
**Author:** ![grump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8491ac/32.png) [@grump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grump)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2003, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unanwserable-questions/213875/8 "2003-11-18T12:21:35Z")
What is the frequency, Kenneth? Who farted? ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2003, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unanwserable-questions/213875/9 "2003-11-18T12:23:54Z")
How do you know these are the only unanswerable questions? If a tree falls in a forest, does anyone hear? Where did the phrase ‘the whole nine yards’ come from? How did the Universe begin? What is outside the Universe? Which is better; yellow or green? ---
**Author:** ![lucwarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e19adc/32.png) [@lucwarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lucwarm)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2003, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unanwserable-questions/213875/10 "2003-11-18T12:27:10Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Princhester \* > \*\*All these questions are answerable. Just not by you (or me) right now. \*\* I can answer them right now. My answer is “I don’t know.” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Shrinking\_Violet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@Shrinking\_Violet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shrinking_Violet)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2003, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unanwserable-questions/213875/11 "2003-11-18T13:06:38Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Princhester \* > \*\*All these questions are answerable. Just not by you (or me) right now. \*\* OK, let’s see … _How many leaves did the lettuce have, which sat next to the one you’re eating on the supermarket shelf?_ - Granted … you may have bought both lettuces … lettuci … lettucae … vegetables, and still have the other one, so you can count them. :smack: _What will be the biggest-selling record of 2005?_ - If you know someone who knows the answer to this, I’d like to meet them and discuss the lottery. 😉 _What happened to the leftover wood after your desk was made?_ - OK, I should have explained that the carpenter died and told no-one. (Do I hear “cheat”? 😛 ) _How many peas has that woman’s husband eaten in his lifetime?_ - Assuming the woman _has_ a husband, and he eats peas … what are the chances that someone, selected at random, decided as a baby to count every pea he eats throughout his life? OK, I admit it’s possible. 🙂 _Why did Michael Jackson do it??_ - Ah now … there’s a question … 😃 Julie ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2003, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unanwserable-questions/213875/12 "2003-11-18T13:17:02Z")
Why are you eating lettuce on the supermarket shelf? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Shrinking\_Violet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@Shrinking\_Violet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shrinking_Violet)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2003, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unanwserable-questions/213875/13 "2003-11-18T13:43:22Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by AskNott \* > \*\*Why are you eating lettuce on the supermarket shelf? 😃 \*\* OK, I admit it … I’m On The Shelf. 🙂 Julie ---
**Author:** ![Shade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2bfe46/32.png) [@Shade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shade)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2003, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unanwserable-questions/213875/14 "2003-11-18T13:49:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by the\_duke\_69 \* > \*\*Are there any other questions that are in a sense unawnserable other than “What do you want?” and “Who are you?” > > This is more of a philisophical argument between a friend and I. and those are the only two question that we have determined to be truely unanwserable.\*\* Have you too agreed on a definition of unanswerable questions? Otherwise, that question is, well, un…clear. But I’ll offer a few suggestions, that are unanswerable in some sense: Apple? What’s north of the north pole? Do two lines at right angles to the same line meet? Are all even numbers the sum of two primes? ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2003, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unanwserable-questions/213875/15 "2003-11-18T14:30:24Z")
Is ‘This statement is false’ true? What’s the largest prime number? Have you stopped beating your wife yet? ---
**Author:** ![fezpp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@fezpp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fezpp)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2003, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unanwserable-questions/213875/16 "2003-11-18T14:44:15Z")
No, I haven’t stopped beating my wife beacuse I never started. … don’t start that one again :o) ---
**Author:** ![gluteus\_maximus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f17d59/32.png) [@gluteus\_maximus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gluteus_maximus)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2003, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unanwserable-questions/213875/17 "2003-11-18T14:54:25Z")
“Why are you so stupid?” ---
**Author:** ![Shade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2bfe46/32.png) [@Shade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shade)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2003, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unanwserable-questions/213875/18 "2003-11-18T14:58:31Z")
What’s it really like inside a black hole? Mumblemumblemumble? ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2003, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unanwserable-questions/213875/19 "2003-11-18T15:18:50Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by the\_duke\_69 \* > \*\*Are there any other questions that are in a sense unawnserable other than “What do you want?” and “Who are you?” \*\* How is it that the deepest questions are the ones you’re asked when you try to enter the wrong house at three in the morning? ---
**Author:** ![Indefatigable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9d8465/32.png) [@Indefatigable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indefatigable)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2003, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unanwserable-questions/213875/20 "2003-11-18T15:41:39Z")
The two questions initially posed as unanswerable, ‘What do you want?’ and ‘Who are you?’ are \subjective\. Different people will give different answers to them. This is the only case where different answers can be simultaneously ‘true’. Likewise with ‘Which is better, yellow or green?’ There may not be a single right answer, but the nature of the question means there \can’t\ be a single right answer-- it would be meaningless. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unanwserable-questions/213875.md?page=2)