It is so often asked: "Why?" But what does it mean? What do we expect from this question? A "because"? If the question is answered it seems to give people a kind of relief.
Why do I ask this question? Because I like to know the answer. Why? Whatfore, maybe? Are there different forms of why? Which are they?
"Why?" is a request for an explanation. It can be understood in different ways because there are many different kinds of explanation. "Why do the hands on this clock go round?" could be a request for a causal explanation, in which case an answer would take the form of an account of the mechanical operation of the clock. Or it could be a request for a teleological explanation, i.e. one that appeals to ends, in which case the answer would be, "In order to tell the time of day".
There are also different kinds of explanation in science. "Why does water boil when heated?" is a request for an explanation of physical behaviour and might be answered in terms of molecules and the forces between them. "Why are whales mammals?" is a request for an explanation of the classification of living things. "Why does the Himalayan mountain range exist?" is a request for an explanation of a geological phenomenon and can be answered in terms of plate techtonics. "Why do fools fall in love?" is a request for an explanation of human behaviour and might be answered in terms of psychological or even biochemical theories. Scientific explanations are often reductive in nature and seek to explain complex or macroscopic phenomena in terms of simpler or microscopic ones.
In the context of human behaviour, we often request teleological explanations. "Why did you do that?" is a request for a reason or an end or a motivation, not a request for how the nerves and muscles in a human body work. Even explanations of human actions can be of different kinds. For example, "Why did you spill your drink on the floor?" might be answered in several distinct ways. "I was curious to see how quickly it would evaporate." "Other people were doing so, and I decided to join in." "I was making a libation to the gods." "I didn't mean to: someone jogged my arm."
We also often ask for explanations of beliefs. "Why do you think that?" is normally a request for justification or grounds for a belief. It is not a request for a causal explanation of a cognitive state, or for a motivation. Also, we can ask for explanations of obligations. "Why should I do that?" is typically a request for an explanation of how an action fits into a moral framework or how it can be assimilated to an accepted moral paradigm.
