Why We Ask Why: The Science of Explanation and the Human Drive to Understand

An insightful look at the science of explanation, using psychology, philosophy, and stories to reveal surprising truths about how we make sense of ourselves and the world

Humans are explanation-seeking creatures. We wonder why there’s traffic, why a friend behaved a certain way, why the sky is blue, and—in moments of existential reflection— why we are here. Over the last twenty-five years, renowned cognitive scientist Tania Lombrozo has turned this explanation-seeking tendency back on itself to ask: Why do humans explain? What does explanation do for us? And, most important, how can we do it better?

In Why We Ask Why, Lombrozo takes readers on a journey into the depths of explanation, exploring the role that this fundamental cognitive process plays for each of us as we engage with others and the world around us. She reveals what makes some explanations more satisfying than others, why we seek simpler explanations (and whether we should), how explanations drive learning, and the role of explanations in creating meaning and igniting change. Along the way, she provides crucial tools to refine the craft of explanation—for ourselves, for others, and to build a better world.

Through scientific studies and lively stories, we come to appreciate that explanations aren’t simply facts that describe the past—they’re also mental acts that decide the future. Astute, thought-provoking, and constantly surprising, Why We Ask Why is a book that offers explanations for questions you didn’t even know you had.

Tania Lombrozo is the Arthur W. Marks ’19 Professor of Psychology at Princeton University. She holds degrees in cognitive science and philosophy from Stanford University and in psychology from Harvard University. Her award-winning research has explored the human drive for explanation in both children and adults. She lives in Princeton, New Jersey, with her husband and two daughters.