人类一切的进步，都是从提出一个好问题开始。
历史上诸多实例证明，每一个事后被证明伟大的答案，往往都起源于一个绝妙的问题。“如果……会怎样？”就是一个简单却有魔力的问题，它为探索和发现开辟了无限的可能性。比如，如果从未有人问过“如果人类能像鸟一样飞翔会怎样？”，我们今天就不会有飞机； 如果童年的爱因斯坦不遐想“如果我骑着一束光穿过宇宙，会看到什么？”，就不会开启相对论及原子时代……这些富有好奇心和想象力的问题不仅能帮助我们挑战假设、测试边界、另辟蹊径地解决问题，还可能带来突破性的科学进步、技术突破或制度变革，从而改善整个社会。
人们往往把追求答案看得比发现问题更重要。但，随着超级智能时代的到来，提出一个好问题比得出一个答案更难、更有意义。一个好问题是一颗创新的种子，是促进我们思考的引爆点，是开启世界的金钥匙，也是机器将要学会的最后一样东西。无论学习、工作还是生活，发现不了问题才是最大的问题。
今年预科的毕业课题，首次用“问题”代替了“命题”。对于预科同学们而言，突然没有了具体的创作主题，短短六周，该从何下手？这是一个很大的冒险，但我认为值得冒这个险也应该冒这个险。从“如果……会怎样？”这个问题开始，同学们被鼓励着去挑战理所当然的假设和信念、去想象可能存在于已知世界或已有经验以外的各种替代性现实与可能性、去审视传统智慧，从而为自我表达找到令人兴奋的落脚点。虽然作为答案，毕业展上呈现的作品还远非成熟完善，但同学们提出的问题却都新颖迥异、大开脑洞，这正是最令我倍感欣慰之处。相较于起点处的茫然若失、不知所措，“如果……会怎样？”最终唤起的好奇心和实验精神将为同学们插上超越常规、勇敢探索的创造力翅膀。
WHAT IF?
All human progress starts with asking a good question.
Many examples from history prove that every great answer originates from a brilliant question. "What if?" is a simple yet magical question that opens up endless possibilities for exploration and discovery. For instance, if nobody had ever asked "what if humans could fly like birds?" we would not have airplanes today. Similarly, if a young Einstein hadn't imagined "If I rode a beam of light through the universe, what would I see?", he wouldn't have started the theory of relativity and the atomic age. These curious and imaginative questions not only help us challenge assumptions, test boundaries, and find new ways to solve problems, but also bring breakthrough scientific progress, technological advances, or institutional changes that improve society as a whole.
People tend to prioritize the pursuit of answers over the discovery of problems. However, with the advent of super intelligence, it is more difficult and rewarding to ask a good question than to come up with an answer. A good question is the seed of innovation, the tipping point that advances our thinking, the golden key that unlocks the world, and the last thing a machine will ever learn. Regardless of whether it's about studying, working, or living, the biggest challenge is not being able to find the problem.
For this year's CAFAIFC graduation project, "question" is used instead of "proposition" for the first time. It's a big risk, but one that I think is worth taking and should be taken. With no specific project theme, where should foundation level students start in just six weeks? Beginning with the question "What if?", students are encouraged to challenge taken-for-granted assumptions and beliefs, imagine alternative realities and possibilities that may exist outside of the known world or prior experience, and find exciting outlets for self-expression by questioning conventional wisdom. Although the works presented in the graduation exhibition may not be mature or perfect answers, the questions raised by the students are all novel and different, which is very exciting and gratifying for me. Compared to feeling lost and uncertain at the starting point, the curiosity and experimental spirit aroused in the end by "What if...?" will give students creative wings to go beyond the routine and explore bravely.
