Spiral Question Ladder
See Differently. Think Deeper. Redesign Everything.
A practical five-layer framework to build questions that change how minds work: Clarifying → Causal → Ethical → Transformational → Meta.
By Mohammad Amir Khusru Akhtar · PhiloMind™
For Researchers
Why Spiral — Invitation to Validate
This project exists so that Spiral can move from a promising framework into a tested and trusted research tool. The Spiral Question Ladder has been developed through conceptual work and design as a deliberate alternative to linear models like Bloom’s Taxonomy and debate-driven approaches like Socratic inquiry. While Bloom climbs steps and Socratic questioning provokes dialogue, Spiral loops recursively — surfacing bias, reframing assumptions, and redesigning inquiry itself. Its strength now depends on independent validation. I invite researchers across disciplines to test this framework in real contexts and generate evidence for its value.
Spiral invites you to apply its five recursive layers — Clarifying, Causal, Ethical, Transformational, and Meta — in classrooms, strategy labs, coaching sessions, or research studies. By doing so, you can help demonstrate how Spiral changes the quality of inquiry and perception.
What we provide
- Researcher Pack (templates, rubrics, instruments)
- Implementation guides & facilitation scripts
- Attribution & co-publication opportunities
What we ask
- Run Spiral in your context (min. 2–4 cycles)
- Collect agreed metrics & qualitative notes
- Share a short report or dataset summary
Outcome: tested evidence of Spiral’s effectiveness, establishing it as a framework for deeper inquiry.
How it works
From yes/no to multidimensional
Start with a flat question (“Should school start later?”), spiral it across five layers—definitions, causes, ethics, redesign, and blind spots.
Outcome: not memory training—perception training.
CLARIFYING — What do we mean by “start”? CAUSAL — Why do schools start early now? ETHICAL — Is it fair to teenagers' sleep? TRANSFORMATIONAL — What could flex-time look like? META — Why do we always adjust time, not format?
Try it now
Spiral Question Generator
Tip: paste this into your meeting doc or journal; run 10–15 minutes per spiral.
Inside the pack
Built for utility
- Fillable templates & Spiral Map
- Rubrics (recursion · generativity · friction)
- Classroom + facilitation resources
- Daily habits & journal formats
- Appendix: Generator, 100 prompts, toolkits
Why now
Beyond smarter — toward seeing
We don’t lack information—we face a crisis of interpretation. Spiral offers structure without rigidity, depth without dogma, motion without collapse.
Use & license
Open & remixable
Use these tools freely under CC BY-SA 4.0. Attribute “Spiral Question Ladder — Shunya Publications”.
Books
Books on Spiral — PhiloMind™ Series
Extended writings on Spiral inquiry from the PhiloMind™ series by Mohammad Amir Khusru Akhtar.
PhiloMind™
A continuing exploration of perception, inquiry, and redesign across philosophy, learning design, and systems.
Browse the SeriesFAQ
Quick answers
Is this different from Bloom/DoK/Socratic?
Yes — Spiral mandates Ethical and Meta layers and uses recursion (loop-backs). It’s a portable loop for classrooms, meetings, coaching, and strategy.
Can I use this in a curriculum or retreat?
Absolutely. See the templates and facilitation guides in the ZIP; start with 60–90 minute spirals or “micro-spirals” (Ethical→Meta).
Where do I report results or get in touch?
Email: editor@shunyapublications.com (CC to shunya.ran.books@gmail.com).
Researcher Pack
Online Viewer
Reads Markdown directly from /spiral-question-ladder/Spiral_Researcher_Pack/. Filenames are case-sensitive.
Use & license
Note: This page shares only research tools and packs licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0; logo/wordmarks are excluded (all rights reserved). The full book is available exclusively on Amazon Kindle, paperback, and hardcover — 📚 The Spiral Question Ladder.
Attribution: “Spiral Question Ladder — Shunya Publications”.
Cite as: Akhtar, M. A. K. (Shunya). Spiral Question Ladder. Shunya Publications. CC BY-SA 4.0.