For fostering deep inquiry, some prompting techniques that excel include:

1. Chain of Thought (CoT): This method allows for breaking down a complex topic step-by-step, which helps in thorough exploration. It prompts the AI to think logically and systematically.
   • Example: "Describe the journey of an idea from inception to realization, step-by-step. How does it evolve and change through different stages of development?"
2. Tree of Thought (ToT): Useful for considering multiple perspectives, this approach generates a range of paths or solutions, leading to a deeper understanding.
   • Example: "Explore different philosophical approaches to the meaning of life. Describe three main schools of thought and the outcomes they lead to."
3. Reflective Prompting: Encourages self-examination of the content or thought process, helping refine understanding and find gaps in reasoning.
   • Example: "Reflect on the reasons people procrastinate. Are there any patterns or underlying causes common across most scenarios?"
4. Scenario Prompting: Establishing a scenario helps contextualize questions and create a more engaging inquiry. It’s especially good for critical thinking or real-world applications.
   • Example: "Imagine you are tasked with creating an educational curriculum for children that emphasizes creativity. What steps would you take to ensure inquiry-based learning?"
5. Persona Prompting: Using personas to gain insights from different fields, this method helps inquire from various expert angles, promoting rich and diverse insights.
   • Example: "Act as an environmental scientist. How would you assess the impact of urban expansion on local biodiversity?"
6. Meta-Prompting: Using a prompt to analyze previous answers or generate further questions based on insights helps expand inquiry beyond an initial question.
   • Example: "Take the following explanation about quantum mechanics and generate three new questions that could push understanding further."
7. Branching Method: This approach helps explore related areas and sub-topics by encouraging a branching network of inquiries, leading to broader and interconnected understanding.
   • Example: "What are the psychological effects of social media use on teenagers? Now consider how this might change if the time spent on social media were limited to one hour a day."
8. Role Method: Assigning roles in the inquiry can help simulate different viewpoints or fields of expertise, deepening the inquiry with specialized knowledge.
   • Example: "Imagine you are an anthropologist studying ancient cultures. How would you approach the study of a newly discovered civilization’s social structure?"
9. Constraint-Based Prompting: By restricting or adding conditions, this encourages creative thinking and deeper exploration within boundaries.
   • Example: "Analyze the effects of globalization without mentioning economic factors. Focus on cultural and social impacts."
10. Recursive Inquiry: A deep, repeated questioning technique that continuously digs deeper into answers to uncover fundamental principles or hidden assumptions.

• Example: "What is the purpose of education? After each answer, ask 'Why is that important?' and continue until you reach a core value."

These methods are ideal for inquiry because they emphasize thorough exploration, multiple perspectives, and iterative thinking. Depending on your specific goal, you could use a mix of these techniques to encourage a deeper and more effective inquiry.

Which of these approaches resonates with your goals the most? I can help you craft prompts around them if you'd like.

Here are definitions for the concepts you mentioned, with concrete examples based on the provided document:

Scenario

A Scenario in prompt engineering refers to a specific context or situation in which the AI is given background information to set the stage for a response. It could involve immersing the AI in high-stakes contexts or detailed environments, making it generate responses aligned with the emotions, stakes, and nuances of the scenario.

Example: "Imagine you are a diplomat negotiating peace between two conflicting nations. How would you start the discussion?"

This prompt helps guide the AI into adopting a specific tone and style that aligns with the scenario's gravity .

Practical Use