Together, the rules foster an environment in which participants are challenged to think for themselves and puzzle out as a group a clearer understanding of a rich and complex piece of writing. The leader in a Great Books discussion is a nonexpert, a member of the group. A guiding principle of Great Books is the belief that individuals in a group can reach a substantial insight into a work by building upon one another's ideas. The leader's role is to advance this learning process through careful questioning . The leader opens discussion with a basic interpretive question that genuinely interests and puzzles the leader.
Participants then offer their answers to the leader's question and to one other's comments.
The leader furthers the discussion by asking appropriate follow-up questions. Discussion is meant to flow like a conversation, with participants addressing and questioning one another directly. The leader will frequently draw the group back to the text for evidence to support interpretations raised in the discussion. These references to the text help to keep the discussion focused and free from tangents and generalizations. The discussion is limited to the selection at hand, without reference to other works by the author of the selection or to critical analyses of the author's works.