Q

The Hidden Power of Questions in a World that Wants Answers

By: Lani Watson

Brought to you by Penguin.

Questions are so familiar that we rarely pay them any attention. Like breathing, they play a vital role in our lives and yet we are not taught to ask questions; instead, throughout our lives, we are judged by the answers we give. As a result, this essential human skill is often overlooked and almost invariably underdeveloped.

But questions are powerful. They direct the course of a conversation, an interview, a relationship. It is a power that is present in our daily lives and in our social and political institutions.

In Q, Lani Watson reveals how we can all learn to use this power. On a journey that takes us from the death of Socrates to the dawn of AI, she demonstrates that questions have shaped our world in significant and largely unrecognised ways, from the evolution of our species to how we experience the worlds of school and work, to healthcare and law, to our closest relationships.

We live in an answer-oriented world, where the power of questions remains underappreciated, underutilised and unevenly distributed. We can change this by learning to harness the hidden power of questions in our lives, and by working together to build a question-oriented future which is richer and fairer. Q shows us how.

© Lani Watson 2026 (P) Penguin Audio 2026