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Dont close questions as duplicate if the original is closed.

I've seen a lot of questions closed as duplicates of already closed questions, in most cases as duplicates themselves. Unless it was closed for migration, it seems pointless to direct people instead to a question that probably won't help.

If the other question is a duplicate, the system could offer to use the question at the end of the line. If it's for another reason, it could suggest voting to close the target for the same reason.

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But if the other question is not a duplicate, then closing question A as duplicate of closed question B is perfectly legitimate and useful.

Let's say question B is argumentative and was closed after a few answers were given. Now question A is a duplicate. A few answers are given, and it is closed as a duplicate of B.

In this case closing A as a duplicate of closed B is better than closing A merely as argumentative, since the answers in B will be of interest to anyone who comes to A.

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  • I don't see why the exact close reason matters in this case though. if it's a subjective question, I'd vote for closing as subjective before closing it as a duplicate of another subjective question.
    – Earlz
    Aug 30, 2010 at 2:40
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    @Earlz - Because if a duplicate is closed merely as subjective, etc, you lose information if the duplicate already has answers - Even bad questions can have good answers.
    – Peter Ajtai
    Aug 30, 2010 at 2:47

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