Timeline for The Usage Domains of "why" and "how"
Current License: CC BY-SA 3.0
4 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 15, 2013 at 15:09 | comment | added | Mynamite | I suppose one way round it would be to ask "How can we understand result X from observation Y?" This would encompass all parameters, known and unknown. All possible reasons would have to be investigated. | |
| Dec 15, 2013 at 15:07 | comment | added | Mynamite | My example is pretty prosaic but suppose it was to do with quantum physics instead. Q: How does my quantum position relative to the quantum cupboard prevent me from seeing around the corner? Science might experiment for years with different positions of self and cupboard, trying to find the answer. But if the problem is cause by the quantum equivalent of closed eyes then clearly you are never going to be able to see round the corner. So it requires some lateral thinking, ie the original how question was misleading. I'm still thinking about your last point. | |
| Dec 15, 2013 at 0:25 | comment | added | Geoffrey | I like the idea that "how" questions tend to require more precision in their formulation, so they lend themselves more readily to scientific inquires. But it seems to me that "why" questions still have uses in contexts where observations contradict expectations or appear anomalous. For instance, in your example it is fairly obvious that one's position vis-a-vis the cupboard ought to be an important parameter of the problem, but what happens when there is some new unknown affecting the experiment? If I don't know all of the parameters of a problem, can I still ask "how"? | |
| Dec 14, 2013 at 20:22 | history | answered | Mynamite | CC BY-SA 3.0 |