Questions of Discernment
Resolve confusion by mapping what is right, wrong, confusing, and missing.
- Difficulty
- Starter
- Time to result
- ~days to results
- Steps
- 6
- Confidence
- 99%
The Questions of Discernment turn an undefined problem into four visible categories: what is right, what is wrong, what is confusing, and what is missing. Write the issue on paper, answer each question separately, and spend enough time to move beyond the first obvious responses. The structure prevents known positives and negatives from being mixed with uncertainty, while the final question exposes absent information, voices, or conditions. Scoggins says the exercise may not reveal the exact next action, but it can clarify where to aim. The output is therefore directional clarity: either a decision becomes apparent or the person can identify the information or exploration needed before choosing.
Origin
Scoggins adapted the exercise from Tom Paterson's teaching, also drawing on a term used by his friend Chris LoCurto, and calls the four prompts the Questions of Discernment.
Core principles
- 01Confusion becomes easier to navigate when its parts are made visible.
- 02Right and wrong factors should be separated from uncertainty.
- 03Missing information can matter more than the options already under debate.
- 04Clarity about direction can be useful before the exact next step is known.
How to run it
- 1
Define the issue
Write the specific decision or source of confusion at the top of a blank page. Keep the scope narrow enough to examine in one sitting.
Watch out A vague topic produces vague answers.
- 2
Record what is right
List the facts, values, conditions, and likely outcomes that support the situation or option.
Pro tip Separate evidence from wishful assumptions.
- 3
Record what is wrong
List the conflicts, harms, weaknesses, and misalignments you can already identify.
Watch out Do not hide an uncomfortable fact because it complicates the preferred answer.
- 4
Name the confusion
Write the contradictions, uncertain outcomes, and competing interpretations that prevent a clean choice.
Pro tip Phrase each uncertainty as a question where possible.
- 5
Find what is missing
Identify absent evidence, perspectives, capabilities, or conditions that could change the decision.
Pro tip Look for the thing nobody in the current discussion has supplied.
- 6
Extract the direction
Review all four lists and decide where the evidence points. If the exact step is still unclear, choose the next action that resolves the most important missing or confusing item.
Watch out Do not force certainty when the exercise shows that essential information is absent.
In the wild
A founder lists the partner's complementary expertise under right, conflicting incentives under wrong, unclear decision rights under confusing, and an unreviewed contract under missing. The exercise does not yet produce a yes or no, but it makes legal review and a decision-rights conversation the next necessary actions.
→ A vague partnership debate becomes a directed evidence-gathering process.
Common mistakes
Stopping at pros and cons
A simple two-column list can hide uncertainty and missing information inside the positive and negative entries.
Forcing an immediate answer
The exercise can reveal a direction or information gap without supplying the final next step in the same sitting.
Treating assumptions as facts
Unverified beliefs belong under confusing or missing rather than being counted as settled evidence.
Is it for you?
Best for
People who need a simple paper-based clarity exercise for a life or business decision.
Not ideal for
Emergencies requiring immediate action or specialist decisions that cannot be resolved through reflection alone.
From the transcript
“anytime you're confused about what to do, you just sit down with a paper and pen and you basically ask four questions, right? About anything…”
“out of that, if you spend enough time, you will get clarity just by that one exercise.”
“It may not give you the exact next step, but it's going to say, "Oh, I need to aim over here."”
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