When someone posts a request for information here, most times a moderator will comment that the question has been asked previously and they will link the previous post. As with all Reddit posts, there is always a great risk that the comments would have led to a new subset of subject matter. And because these previous posts could have been linked and re linked to a post over a year ago, they are archived and you cannot comment on them and ask another question pertaining to that topic.
Sometimes, 100% of the history of a topic was not covered in the previous posts. Something was missed or a revered scholar in that very narrow subject was not involved that day.
Is there some way that the OP can state that they would like a brand new discussion to be held?
Is there some way that the OP can state that they would like a brand new discussion to be held?
Certainly! Typically the best way is to summon the user who made the initial reply: "Hey /u/CommodoreCoCo, could you expand on why Vanderbilt is the best school ever? You didn't fully explain it last time." They'll get a notification they've been tagged. I try to do this when I cite an old post, and even just a few weeks ago resulted in someone revising their original answer with a new discovery.
When someone posts a request for information here, most times a moderator will comment that the question has been asked previously and they will link the previous post.
I'm not sure if 'most times' is correct, and it isn't always a mod doing it either. But in any case such a link isn't intended to shut down any new discussion. It's just to inform the person asking the question that there's answers out there already. New answers can always be posted even after an older answer has been linked.
We allow such links because often specialists on a subject aren't eager to answer the same question over and over again. Writing a high quality answer takes a lot of time and effort, and it's not something one is inclined to do if an older, probably sufficient answer is already out there.
Is there some way that the OP can state that they would like a brand new discussion to be held?
There is: just say so. "Hey I've read [this older answer] and I'm not entirely satisfied. My question is [....]."
While doing so, you can even make a username mention (as /u/CommodoreCoCo suggested) to see if the person who made the older answer is interested in elaborating (they often will be).