MovieChat Forums > Philosophy > What kind of question is "Why?"

What kind of question is "Why?"


When you ask "Why do trees grow?" or "Why does the Sun shine?" what answer do you expect?

If you ask "How do trees grow?" or "How come trees grow?" we can answer that going back all the way to some point before trees existed.

Similarly, if you ask yourself "How did I choose to eat what I ate for breakfast this morning rather than choosing something else?" or "How come I chose to eat that?" you can answer that going back all the way to your primordial ancestors.

But when we ask a "Why?" question aren't we setting ourselves up for failure seeing as we've never really answered a single such question?

Also, this: http://www.imdb.com/board/bd0000130/nest/263626706

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"Why do trees grow?"
Because their seeds end up on the ground in an environment that supports further plant development.

"How do trees grow?"
Cell division.

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Because their seeds end up on the ground in an environment that supports further plant development.
No, that's part of how, not why.

Cell division.
Yes, but explaining what cells are and how they came about goes back further.

Also, this: http://www.imdb.com/board/bd0000130/nest/263626706

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Ok, in order to avoid borderline examples, here is another one where asking "why" makes sense, is different than "how" and has solid known answer:

Why peacocks spread their feathers?
In order to attract mating partners.

How peacock spread their feathers?
(insert anatomical explanation here)


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So there is no answer to "Why did you pose this question?" You have reasons for asking, and you expect responses. Why do you ask questions that contain their own answers, and inevitably contradict and demolish the faulty philosophical points you labor so tirelessly to make?

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"In order to attract mating partners." is not really an answer to the question why, only a small part of how the peacock's whole existence as a species goes back in time.

It's really:
How come peacocks want to spread their feathers?
In order to attract mating partners because they want to mate because etc etc etc.

The question "Why peacocks spread their feathers?" is no different from the question "Why the Sun shines?" even though the Sun doesn't want anything while peacocks do.

Also, this: http://www.imdb.com/board/bd0000130/nest/263626706

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I understand you want to negate the "purpose" by negating the question "why".
You have not provided a single proof that my examples are incorrect, instead you keep repeating your interpretation and negating mine:

...is not really an answer to the question why...
...It's really...
...is no different from the question...

Checking out of this discussion, too... and from all you might start in the future.

Why?
Because, just repeating your beliefs as counter argument and playing with language in order to confirm your beliefs is an indication of a serious cognitive bias and requires a kind of help I can not provide.
Best of luck.

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I understand you want to negate the "purpose" by negating the question "why".
It has nothing do with "purpose".

You have not provided a single proof that my examples are incorrectYes, I have.
You ask a person "Why did you do that?" there is no real answer because it's not just "Because I wanted to." the answer to how stretches back in time while answering why is so muddled it might not even be possible.

EDIT: And it's not really an issue of your examples being incorrect.

Why?
Because, just repeating your beliefs as counter argument and playing with language in order to confirm your beliefs is an indication of a serious cognitive bias and requires a kind of help I can not provide.
I'm not playing with language. I'm saying you can't really answer why you're checking out of this discussion. You can give reasons how you came to decide to do so and choose level of detail to those reasons but not why.

Also, this: http://www.imdb.com/board/bd0000130/nest/263626706

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So there is no answer to "Why did you pose this question?"
Correct, there is only how did I come to pose it.

Also, this: http://www.imdb.com/board/bd0000130/nest/263626706

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