Link partial answers to the question — never replace…
When a question receives a partial answer, preserve the original question as a persistent atom and link the answer to it rather than replacing the question, creating a visible record of how understanding evolves from open inquiry to accumulated evidence.
When This Fires
- Finding a partial answer to an open question in your knowledge system
- Reading something that addresses but doesn't fully resolve a persistent question
- Getting a definitive answer and being tempted to "close" the question by deleting it
- Reviewing your knowledge base and deciding what to do with partially answered questions
Common Failure Mode
Replacing the question with a confident answer after the first piece of evidence. "How does spaced repetition actually work?" gets replaced by the first article's explanation — which may be incomplete, simplified, or wrong. The question, which would have attracted deeper and more nuanced answers over time, is gone. Future evidence has no open question to attach to.
The Protocol
When a question receives a partial answer: (1) Keep the question atom intact. (2) Create a new note for the answer with its source and evidence quality. (3) Link the answer to the question with a "partially_answers" relationship. (4) Update the question's status to "partially-answered" with a note on what remains unresolved. (5) Only mark a question "resolved" when you have sufficient evidence from multiple independent sources. Even then, preserve the question — it's part of your epistemic history.