“It’s so easy these days, isn’t it, in a world saturated with information, to take at face value what we hear, see or read. But getting into the habit of asking good questions, particularly questions around why and how things work, can help you develop a deeper sense of understanding, piece together critical thinking skills, and make better decisions. Asking questions is more than just passively absorbing whatever information happens to come your way, seeking with intentional curiosity can help reconcile the truth, question the status quo and spur on entrepreneurship.
The Power of Asking Why
“Why” is the most basic question there is to get to the root cause of any situation. It breaks the frame, invites intrigue, and urges the listener not to stop exploring the content. When confronted with a statement, theory or belief, asking “why” can reveal its foundation.
In the workplace, for instance, it can be easier to ask why an old method is practiced rather than simply going along with it. But in the context of personal development, asking ourselves why we believe such things is an opportunity to examine our beliefs and expand our views.
The Five Whys Technique
The “Five Whys” approach was first used by Toyota as a way to drill down to the core of a problem as well. This method involves repeatedly asking “why” to dig down into the layers of a problem. For instance:
- And, why customer satisfaction is so low? – Because good response times are slow.
- Why are response times slow? – Because the customer service department is under-imagined.
- Why is the team understaffed? – Because hiring has been pushed back.
- Why has hiring been delayed? – Because it was the budget cut.
- Why was the budget reduced? – For reasons of changing company priorities.
This exercise provides deeper understanding allowing for focused solutions as opposed to band-aid fixes.
Understanding How Things Work
If why reveals the logic of concepts, how is about mechanics and processes. It is this question that leads us to know how to deal with the practical reality. This can be useful particularly in science and engineering as well as business and people’s everyday lives.
For instance, when trying to be healthy physically, “how does exercise affect the body?” will yield knowledge about muscle growth, metabolism, and cardiovascular fitness. Similar questions, in technology, apply on how does an application work and if you can use it to troubleshoot instead of just relying on someone from the outside.
The How Question Applied to Learning
Regular structures of thinking when understanding new skills or subjects, breaking down by the question “how” can help in that comprehension. For instance:
- How does a car engine work?
- What are the workings of financial markets?
- What tips or techniques can I use to become a better public speaker?
These questions pave the way to a deeper discussion of basic concepts and practical applications, transforming learning into more of an interactive experience.
Two Barriers to Critical Thinking (and Ways Around Them)
The benefits of asking why and how are evident, yet barriers remain in providing effective questioning of information disseminated. These include:
- It highlights cognitive biases — how our brains are wired to seek out information that validates our prior knowledge, and how that makes it hard to poke holes in things we already believe.
- Authority Bias – We tend to trust information (and people) from experts or recognized authorities.
- Social Pressure – It is not easy to criticize popular opinions.
- There is not enough time – In a busy world, some people may feel too busy to take the time to participate in deeper inquiry.
Having a curiosity mindset and embracing uncertainty is the solution to break through the barriers. It develops better critical thinking skills by allowing people who take the time to research, get different opinions, and think for themselves.
Conclusion
They engage in critical thinking — the ability to not only access information but to analyze its trustworthiness and decide whether or not to believe it. This attitude that is always questioning why and how things work on a higher level allows people to discover deeper truths for themselves, broaden their perspectives, and help them make better choices. Maintaining this habit trains your mind to think in ways that are intellectually curious, problem-solving oriented and that build resilience against complexity. Do not just take information at face value, but go further — question, analyze and derive insights.
