Humble Inquiry, Second Edition, 2nd Edition

3 How Is Humble Inquiry Different?

One of the best ways to understand Humble Inquiry is to position it relative to some other forms of inquiry. We have a tendency to think of asking or telling as just simple alternatives when, in fact, there are many forms of each with different consequences. In the last chapter we took a deep dive into the essential elements of Humble Inquiry that can play important roles in many kinds of situations. In this chapter we cover the kind of inquiry used by designated helpers, such as teachers, coaches, counselors, and therapists.

To begin, a basic difference lies in the purpose. We see Humble Inquiry as primarily about reducing one’s ignorance, making sense of complicated situations, and in that process, deepening ...