Rhetorical Questions

Rhetorical questions can invite an answer or imply a claim without arguing for it. Dennett recommends noticing this move and considering an actual answer rather than automatically following the intended implication.

A rhetorical question can invite assent without openly stating the proposition the listener is meant to accept. The useful response is sometimes to answer it literally. Asking what evidence or mechanism would count can expose an unargued assumption while preserving a legitimate concern.

Not every rhetorical question is manipulative, and not every pointed question has one fixed implied assertion. Interpret it in context, then distinguish its emotional force from its evidential content. Apply the same scrutiny to one's own writing: if the question is doing argumentative work, make that work visible.

When to use it

Use when a question ends inquiry by making one answer seem obvious or when persuasive wording conceals an unsupported premise.

How it can help

Make the implied claim explicit, remove loaded wording, and examine real answers and evidence. Use the method on one's own arguments as well as others'.