But why?
We are scarred by past experiences when we ask why and find unfulfilling answers. We stop asking why as we age. Have we traded our creativity for comfort?
We are scarred by past experiences (in school, religion, and even science) when we ask why and find unfulfilling answers. No matter how daunting, asking why is the most important thing we have. But yet, we seem to lose this interest as we age. Have we traded our creativity for comfort?
“I was so good at being a kid, and so terrible at being whatever I was now.” - John Green, Turtles All the Way Down
I first learned about the Five Ws (5Ws) method in middle school science class as a useful framework to organize my thought process and seek information. Here they are:
Who
What
When
Where
Why
You're supposed to approach these sequentially – start with who and end with why. You must first gather as much information possible (who, what, when, and where – the 4Ws) to then be able to answer why. Logically, this makes sense. After all, can you explain the meaning of things without first knowing the basics upfront?
It follows that this Sherlock Holmes investigative approach will lead us to the right answers. But is that the case? Is it perhaps better to start with why? Have we become too fixated on the process, or finding the right/easy answers, that we have traded our creativity for comfort?
Why start with why?
The 5Ws method is orderly and comforting. After all, the first four questions are more objective and provable that the last. But I would argue that by not starting with why we preclude ourselves from the most valuable part of the entire discovery process. That is, allowing our minds to drift and explore.
We jump into fact-gathering mode without pausing to understand our underlying motivations and consider the alternative. Namely, why are we doing this? Why not something else instead?
If we start with why we instantly become more critical of why we do certain things. It leaves us wondering how many times we did something simply because it was the way we learned it in school. More importantly, asking why upfront makes us question even the most basic assumptions.
It allows us to explore alternative processes of gathering information. Instead of digging in the same places, we search in other fields. Sometimes, all we need to do is to wander a bit farther and start digging in seemingly unexpected places to find better answers.
The questions we ask largely dictate the answers we get. Starting with why becomes a sanity check to keep our cognitive biases at bay. So perhaps it's better to focus on the why as a way to design better questions (and answers) to the 4Ws.
“What I love about science is that as you learn, you don't really get answers. You just get better questions.” ― John Green, Turtles All the Way Down
The most important thing
As of late, I've experimented with asking why first. This process of inverting is perhaps not applicable in all situations, but I've found that it allows me to focus on the things that matter most. Why do I want to read about healthcare policy? Why now? Why not understand or do something else?
Asking why protects us from our bias to accept things at face value. For example, why is nuclear energy so unpopular? (I'll be posting about that soon).
As part of this process, I've accepted the possibility that I may never find explanations to some questions, and that “truths” I believe in are perhaps false.
As I grow older and technology continues to improve, I've noticed a tendency to believe I have a pulse on everything. I’m eager to find answers to the 4Ws but not enough on the last and most crucial - why. I’ve realized that so many things fall outside my control, and I understand a small fraction of what I thought I did. Technology is not necessarily going to change that.
Information Age - who, what, when, where. What’s the point?
We consume and process growing amounts of information (who, what, when, where) but not enough energy to understand the meaning of it. Embarking on the journey of why feels like slowing down, and somehow that means being less productive.
Doing so runs counter to our competitive nature. The 4Ws are more objective and provable. We're more incentivized to focus on them as we seek validation of our intelligence and justification of our actions. Being right feels awesome.
But focusing on why requires selflessness and patience. It doesn't feel as straightforward or as compelling. The process doesn't reward us with immediate dopamine hits. Search for meaning may never be as comforting. It can leave us more confused, feeling like we're in an infinite loop questioning everything, and why we do it in the first place.
I've felt this many times before. But I take more comfort that it is an essential part of preserving my creativity. It helps me stay humble and intellectually curious.
In some respects, I think about what Columbus may have felt sailing West, not knowing if he would find a passage to China or reach the end of the world. Similarly, I come to terms that I may never find a satisfying answer to many questions, but the journey is worthwhile because the alternative - staying put - just feels too goddam boring.
Does it ever end?
I don't think that this process has an end to it. Accepting that has led me to believe that the goal is not necessarily to find a unifying theory for everything. I don't think we're ever supposed to stop asking why – and that's the point. That’s what makes us uniquely human.
At times this may seem like a never-ending journey. Some may question the value of it. What's the point of asking so many whys?
As kids, our minds want to make sense of the world around us. As we grow older, that somehow fades. We either believe we know answers to these things or lose interest in what was once awe-inspiring and has become quotidian.
Richard Feynman, one of the brightest thinkers of our time, is someone who never lost this youthful spirit. As the title of his book suggests, "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!" he would ask seemingly absurd questions about even the most basic assumptions. It allowed him to see things others overlooked. For instance, he discovered that a small, low-level sealing component called an O-ring caused the Challenger accident. Searching for meaning and truth meant simply asking why repeatedly (watch this fascinating video of him in action).
We think we have it all figured out
Nothing is as obvious as it seems. We believe we have it all figured out, and that leads us to dismiss new information. It probably takes less than five minutes with a kid who is asking why about everything to realize that we know very little about the world. The great danger of the 5W process as we learn it in school is that it becomes all too comforting to focus on the first 4Ws and neglect the last W - why.
I often think that science falls into the trap of dismissing theories because they can't be measured and subjected to the scientific method. The problem is that we fail to consider that perhaps we don't have the right set of instruments to observe and measure certain things that would allow us to prove certain theories. Instead of discarding them, maybe we should entertain this possibility.
I was listening to a brilliant episode of The Portal by Eric Weinstein, where he described this so well: "the scientific method is a radio edit of true science."
He was referring to how discoveries frequently happen by accident in the most unexpected of places by seemingly unqualified people. He argues that these misfits sometimes are able to see farther than experts and find breakthroughs because they allow themselves to first ask why. Discoveries tend to happen when we have more degrees of freedom to explore and wander about.
Are we better off not asking why?
But asking why is not easy. Asking too many whys in a row and you start feeling like you're going down some rabbit hole - not getting closer to finding the underlying meaning of things.
This process reminds me of so many conversations trying to explain bitcoin. At some point in the discussion, we stumble on the meaning of trust. Trust in bitcoin, the US Dollar, the financial and monetary system, and institutions is a funny thing. One set places trust in humans, the other in code. But it comes down to understanding that both systems are built on a series of assumptions and trust guarantees, which are themselves dependent on others believing the same set of assumptions. And so, you start questioning how these systems stand their ground? Why doesn't trust in these narratives collapse? If one assumption builds on another, and one set of faith builds on the other, then where does it stop? Turtles all the way down…
Does it ever stop?
I wonder if/how to strike a balance in this seemingly infinite loop. Is there an end state where we stop asking why and accept things as they are? If we stop, how can we find satisfaction knowing there are so many unknowns and unresolved problems? Moreover, why do we feel the need to keep asking why?
We see parents scolding their kids for asking too many annoying questions. They feel frustrated, not able to explain why the sky is blue, or why birds fly, or why insects are the way they are, or why dogs wag their tail. Just settle down…
“I was once like you are now
And I know that it's not easy
To be calm when you've found
Something going on
But take your time, think a lot
Think of everything you've got
For you will still be here tomorrow
But your dreams may not" - Cat Stevens, Father and Son
Somewhere along the way, we lose this incessant curiosity in everything. We find answers to some questions but leave so many unexplored. We find it more satisfying to focus on material things (that which we think we can find answers to). We gradually find less value in the abstract – perhaps because what was once awe-inspiring like the color of the sky, becomes familiar and ceases to amaze us.
Our educational system is, in large part, to blame here. We study, memorize concepts, and get rewarded. We become conditioned to think learning is a test of our memory recall without demanding much explanation. Open exploration is somehow a waste of time. We need to find focus and develop a thesis to graduate, find a job or get tenure, and ultimately obtain money and prestige.
Being present
So much of the advice we get these days is to be present. Perhaps asking too many whys detracts us from just living in the moment. That may be true.
But I'm not sure that is the case. Asking why elevates us, it heightens our senses, and it makes us appreciate the magnitude and expanse of the world around us. However, I do intend to explore the idea of perhaps striking a balance.
Sometimes, I don't see value in asking many whys. In other cases, I accept the fact that asking another why will be circular, so I stop there and understand that I may not be ready or wise enough. Perhaps I will at a later time – but for now, it's time to move on to something else. Other times, I stop asking why because it drives people insane!
Are we prepared to find meaning?
Venturing into this process can be daunting. Are we prepared to find the source, the meaning, the truth?
Often we are scarred by past experiences – in school, religion, and even science – where we find unsatisfying, unfulfilling answers. Are we supposed to be satisfied?
Oh, but wouldn't things be more comfortable if we removed the why from the equation?
Asking too many whys can feel like a never-ending, never satisfying quest. It has left me wondering at times if there is value in trying to go that deep. What's the point of it all?
Perhaps the essential part of this entire process is realizing that the process is never-ending. It's what keeps us always curious. It's the cradle of inspiration, creativity, and innovation.
Would you rather be ignorant and satisfied, or curious and unsatisfied? Isn't being curious that which makes us human? Perhaps we can be satisfied and curious.
The moment we stop asking why, when we feel like we have it figured it out, life has a way of showing us how wrong we are in making that assumption. Mark Twain said it best, "It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know for sure that just ain't so.”
A new world
In middle school, I remember using a high-powered microscope for the first time. Turning the knob from a 4x to a 100x magnification was such a mind-blowing experience. All of a sudden, I saw a new world of creatures existing in the petri dish.
Asking why is like switching magnifications. It's the only shot that we'll ever have at seeing new dimensions and discovering breakthroughs.
A lot of what I do involves thinking about why friction exists in the world. It starts with a bad experience, wishing it would be better, and leaves me wondering that there ought to be a better way to do things. I don't pretend to find answers to all of these whys, and certainly not by myself. However, starting with why allows me to be more focused on who to reach out to, what to ask, when to do it, and where to search for the answers to why.
So, I encourage you to start with why. If there's anything I've appreciated over the years is that why is the most important of the 5Ws, yet we've been trained to focus less on that which matters most. It’s time to bring it back.
But why?