Why Ask Why

Here comes the rain again
Raining in my head like a tragedy
Tearing me apart like a new emotion
--Eurythmics

Minyan Peter observes that a recent NYT reporter writing does not pursue the underlying causes of the Simmons Mattress bankruptcy.

Indeed.

People seem far too willing to assimilate a situation without asking why it is occurring. Viewing the empirical world as-is is known as induction. Animals can do this.

Humans differ from animals in that they possess the power to reason. Reason permits the analysis of a situation in order to understand why things are as they are. This is known as deduction.

Unless deductive skills are employed, past problems are certain to resurface, since we fail to grasp their root causes and implement solutions to prevent recurrence.

Without reason, repeating the past is our destiny.