The inherited rule

Short journal · Original editorial · Questions that open doors

A familiar rule survives after its original task has changed.

A question becomes more useful when someone can do something with it. Replace a grand demand for certainty with a smaller invitation to inspect an example, name an assumption, or try an alternative. Keep room for an answer you did not expect.

Ask which problem the rule was meant to prevent.

If the difficulty remains, write what happened without blaming the attempt. A clearer problem is useful evidence for the next version.