We spent countless years in the school system under the promise that knowledge = power.
We spent hours honing menial skills in the workplace in the hopes of getting a raise or promotion.
And we’ve all spent far too much time making connections through social media.
But the truth is that, thanks to AI, knowledge no longer equals power.
The truth is that AI is replacing our former job duties at an unprecedented rate.
And the truth is that Covid showed us that making connections in the online world does not solve our loneliness in this world.
And so, in this article we discuss the importance of asking why.
Table of Contents
Finding the Importance of Asking Why
My story is no different from yours.
I was led to believe in an ideal world that was far different from the truth. Sound familiar?
Going into my PhD, I had envisioned a romantic scene of scholars sitting around a round table, discussing the meaning of life. Perhaps that was naive.
My qualms with academia extend far beyond the scope of this article, but at least I was happy exploring the bounds of my knowledge. Focusing on the cross-cultural perceptions of success, I soaked up as much knowledge as I could on cross-cultural, social, and evolutionary psychology, as well as on biology, philosophy, and anything to do with the question “What does it mean to be successful?”.
However, AI has made knowledge useless. All of the dates, formulas, and facts we memorized are no longer found in our brain; they are found in our fingertips as we type in “google” or “chatgpt”.
Unsurprisingly, this is no more evident than in the school system. Throughout my PhD studies, I can anecdotally relate that AI played a part in the construction of nearly every academic writing -whether it be a first-year student’s final exam or a professor vying for a new publication. Likewise, AI was/is a key contributor to the majority of tests created, lessons planned, and essays written.
While professors and students are all too happy to use AI to make their own lives easier, there is an underlying sense of danger within the field. People will have to adapt. If academics continue to pursue knowledge, they will soon be rendered useless.
This isn’t unique to academia. The best financial advice that I’ve ever received was to make yourself valuable (thanks dad). But how valuable will you be if your skills can be done by AI?
Luckily and contrary to the preponderance of knowledge that was swallowed up by the AI Revolution, my work’s value has remained unscathed. In fact, its value has skyrocketed. Why?
Why?
Well, the answer is in just that —minus the question mark. Why. I discovered the importance of asking why.
The Importance of Asking Why
In a world where AI threatens to outpace us in facts and tasks, asking “why” sets us apart. It’s the foundation of whysdom—something machines can’t replicate—and the key to deeper thinking, sharper skills, and richer connections. While “what” and “how” fill our conversations, “why” reveals meaning, building emotional intelligence and fostering curiosity that can’t be automated. It’s also the secret to truly knowing someone—not just their name or job, but their motivations and dreams. By embracing the importance of asking “why,” we future-proof ourselves intellectually, enrich our relationships, and cultivate the kind of understanding that AI will never achieve.
1. The Importance of Asking Why in Becoming AI-Proof Intellectuals
A striking number of people would prioritize whysdom or worldly intelligence over their own happiness or meaning in life. To them (I imagine that I can likely use the term “us”), AI poses a threat to their own existential philosophy. By devaluing knowledge, AI is prohibiting a major part of human expression.
Imagine, for instance, a world in which you were forced to take a pill to meet all of your daily calories, or perhaps a world in which you “logged out” at night, only to log back in the following morning. Either situation would be of use to only the most hardcore of pragmatists. To the rest of us, I opine that we would be less than willing to give up the joys of a warm cup of coffee in the morning or a dozy awakening from bed.
In the same vein, for those of us who value intellectual pursuit, knowledge, or whysdom, we must begin to adapt. We must begin focusing on the questions that AI will simply never be able to answer: why.
In this way, the importance of asking why is that we “AI-proof” ourselves and our intelligence, knowledge, and whysdom.
This importance of asking why is contrasted with the recently-outdated notion that knowledge is power. No, knowledge can only be power if it is exclusive. If you discovered the best lasagna recipe in the whole world and opened up a restaurant, you would quickly rise to notoriety. However, if this recipe was shared with the entire world, you’d be quick to go out of business.
Knowledge works the same. While, yes, everyone appreciates those street interviews where average citizens are proven to not be smarter than a fifth grader, the truth is that every one of those people who don’t know Africa from America is a walking genius, all because of what is in their pockets.
And so, the only way to get ahead is to focus on another intelligence, one that is disappearing on the daily, but whose market value is skyrocketing: whysdom.
Luckily for you, there are only three steps to becoming wise:
All of these will serve to provide you with life-enriching experiences, while giving you the tool set necessary to make the most of these experiences and transform them into whysdom.
2. The Importance of Asking Why in Developing Valuable Skills
One less-philosophical and more functional importance of asking why, is that, in fool-proofing ourselves to AI, we develop skills that are highly sought after in the professional realm.
Whys, in contrast to whos, whats, whens, wheres, and hows, are not always rooted in base fact. They are rooted in beliefs. In a world increasingly infatuated with the simple possession of fact (think state testing requirements, AI results, and highly specific but mundane job tasks), it is often forgotten that beliefs, not facts, shape the world around us.
Caring about the importance of asking whys, and especially becoming learned in the whys of the world, puts us in the minority by default. Minority = rare = valuable.
Furthermore, another importance of asking why is that it gives us the opportunity to build marketable and useful skills to be used in and out of the workplace. For example, when we ask why in personal conversations, we put ourselves in situations in which our communication skills and emotional intelligence can flourish —also note that asking why is a smart strategy for aspiring conversationalists to begin with if they are looking for a stimulating interaction!
Emotional Intelligence has been linked as a greater predictor of success and fulfillment than even IQ, meaning that “asking why” may quite literally make us more successful and happier —all at the same time.
3. The Importance of Asking Why in Building Social Connections
But the importance of asking why extends far beyond just ourselves.
If you ask a man his name, what he does for a living, how he got the job, and when and where he went to school, you’ll come away with a certain degree of knowledge. You’ll be able to tell your friend, “This is John. He graduated from Stanford in 1987 and now he works as a dentist.”
But what if you asked him about why he pursued dentistry? Then you’d leave the conversation much wiser to who John is as a person.
Not only would you gain a substantial advantage (whysdom), but you’d also be doing John a service, who, if he’s anything like the rest of us, would prefer “the why” over the monotonous small talk.
Asking why deepens connections and is a factor that is glaringly absent from the modern social media world that was created to keep tabs on what we are up to. The importance of asking why in building social connections is facilitated through the growth of authentic empathy. We need to know the why in order to relate and understand different perspectives. Knowing each others’ whats simply is not enough.
How to Incorporate “Why” into Your Everyday Life
The importance of asking why is easily enough understood, but cementing it as a habit can take a bit of practice. It is best to think of using “why” as a rule in conversation, but as a guide in life.
1. The Use of “Why” in Conversation
Dale Carnegie asserted that the sweetest sound anyone could hear is the sound of their own name. It could very well be that people are preconditioned, evolutionarily or through the contemporary landscape, to tune in to their own name. It would undoubtedly be a good strategy to ensure that you hear what is most important to you.
Asking “why” achieves something similar. While asking “what” may lead to a person acknowledging their role as a professional, friend, or family member, the importance of asking why lies in the fact that it is the only question that truly taps into one’s identity. When we ask why, we give our conversation partner to choose their own identity; to live the life and be the person that they desire.
In exchange, they give us a nugget of whysdom. Asking “why” is the best way to see new perspectives, and thus open up new doors for next experiences, the raw resource of whysdom. Additionally, we’ll have a far better understanding of our friend, colleague, or stranger than if we were to simply stay on the surface by asking them whats, hows, or whens.
2. Using Why to Unlock the Power of Curiosity
Anyone interested in becoming wise should be looking for new experiences. Unfortunately, travel isn’t free. Nor are courses, nor training. Nor are museums, nor books1.
But curiosity is free.
Not only is it free, but it is the single best resource one can use when looking for new experiences. We can be curious at any time, anywhere, and with anyone.
Curious people ask why, so logic posits that asking why helps us to become curious.
If it does not come natural to you, no worries. The next time you are conversing with someone try to incorporate a why question and make note of what you learn. If you wish to start a bit easier, you can always ask yourself why.
Conclusion: The Importance of Asking Why
The world has changed, and with it, the way we find meaning and value. Knowledge, once the ultimate currency, is now a commodity readily available to anyone with an internet connection. AI has redefined our reality, but it can’t redefine our humanity. That’s why the importance of asking why cannot be overstated.
“Why” is our compass in a world of automation, guiding us to deeper understanding, stronger connections, and a richer existence. It’s the question that transforms knowledge into whysdom and helps us build skills and relationships AI can’t touch. By embracing curiosity, we create a future that’s not just AI-proof but full of the beauty, purpose, and wonder that makes life human.
So, let’s start asking why. Because in doing so, we not only enrich our own lives—we also ignite a spark of humanity in the lives of those we see along our way.
- Many books can be found online. Don’t be afraid to do some digging! ↩︎
- 5 Danish Lessons and Using Janteloven as a Tool to Save our Future from AI
- Hygge and AI. A Look to a Better Future through 5 Danish Values.
- 8 Tips for a Better Work-Life Balance: Lessons from Danish Values
- Adaptable Risk-Taking: Learn From 4 Mongolian Values
- Live Free. 4 Mongolian Values and Lessons from a Nomadic Lifestyle.
