Audio only
Why We Ask Why
The Science of Explanation and the Human Drive to UnderstandBy Tania LombrozoNarrated by Tania LombrozoLength8h 29m
About this audiobook
READ BY THE AUTHOR
An insightful look at the science of explanation, using psychology, philosophy, and stories to reveal surprising truths about how we make sense of ourselves and the world
Humans are explanation-seeking creatures. We wonder why there’s traffic, why a friend behaved a certain way, why the sky is blue, and—in moments of existential reflection—why we are here. Over the last twenty-five years, renowned cognitive scientist Tania Lombrozo has turned this explanation-seeking tendency back on itself to ask: Why do humans explain? What does explanation do for us? And, most important, how can we do it better?
In Why We Ask Why, Lombrozo takes readers on a journey into the depths of explanation, exploring the role that this fundamental cognitive process plays for each of us as we engage with others and the world around us. She reveals what makes some explanations more satisfying than others, why we seek simpler explanations (and whether we should), how explanations drive learning, and the role of explanations in creating meaning and igniting change. Along the way, she provides crucial tools to refine the craft of explanation—for ourselves, for others, and to build a better world.
Through scientific studies and lively stories, we come to appreciate that explanations aren’t simply facts that describe the past but also mental acts that decide the future. Astute, thought-provoking, and constantly surprising, Why We Ask Why is a book that offers explanations for questions you didn’t even know you had.
Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.
Audiobook details
GenrePsychology, Science and Nature
Length8 hrs 29 mins
Narrated byTania Lombrozo
FormatAudiobook
Publish dateOct 6, 2026
LanguageEnglish
What to Make of a LifeJim Collins13h 31m4.4 (794)$33 · $0.00
Matters of the HeartJacinta Nampijinpa Price9h 35m4.8 (359)$29 · $0.00
Black AF HistoryMichael Harriot15h 43m4.7 (14.6K)$33 · $0.00
Bad Fat Black GirlSesali Bowen6h 32m4.7 (2.8K)$24 · $0.00
Invisible StormJason Kander6h 48m4.7 (3.2K)$24 · $0.00
I Am The StormJanice Dean9h4.6 (1.5K)$8 · $0.00
On Democracies and Death CultsDouglas Murray10h 38m4.6 (6.5K)$29 · $0.00
TerraformPropaganda5h 39m4.7 (594)$24 · $0.00
Southern Horrors: Lynch Law in All Its Phases (Annotated)Ida B. Wells-Barnett2h 44m4.6 (1.3K)$2 · $0.00
Hour of the HeartIrvin D. Yalom, Benjamin Yalom8h 19m4.6 (2.3K)$26 · $0.00
Braving the TruthRachel Held Evans11h 31m4.7 (359)$29 · $0.00
Level UpRob Dial7h 42m4.6 (3.3K)$26 · $0.00
As a JewSarah Hurwitz8h 36m4.6 (1.2K)$26 · $0.00
Saint Joan (Annotated)George Bernard Shaw6h 20m4.6 (1.2K)$1.20 · $0.00
Burn the HaystackJennie Young, PhD9h 30m4.6 (543)$29 · $0.00
Woman and the New Race (Annotated)Margaret Sanger6h 30m4.6 (1K)$1.99 · $0.00
Good InsideBecky Kennedy9h 55m4.5 (59.3K)$29 · $0.00
The Mis-Education of the NegroCarter Godwin Woodson5h 4m4.5 (29.4K)$1.20 · $0.00
Du Bois: EssaysW.E.B. Du Bois6h 22m4.6 (1.5K)$1 · $0.00
The North American Indian (Illustrated Edition)Edward S. Curtis, Frederick Webb Hodge5h 59m4.6 (1.4K)$2 · $0.00
A Brief History of IntelligenceMax S. Bennett12h 18m4.6 (6.6K)$29 · $0.00
The Story of BirdsSteve Brusatte11h 49m4.6 (401)$29 · $0.00
Life On Earth 40th Anniversary EditionSir David Attenborough12h 27m4.6 (6.5K)$29 · $0.00
BeyondStephen Walker15h 39m4.6 (3.2K)$33 · $0.00
LiftoffEric Berger9h 4m4.6 (9.5K)$29 · $0.00
Black Earth WisdomLeah Penniman11h 54m4.6 (577)$8 · $0.00
Total Cat MojoJackson Galaxy10h 13m4.5 (8.4K)$23 · $0.00
My Life Among the UnderdogsTia Torres5h 51m4.5 (4K)$24 · $0.00
What It Takes to Save a LifeKwane Stewart6h4.6 (556)$24 · $0.00
Pastoral SongJames Rebanks8h 35m4.5 (12K)$26 · $0.00
How Stella Learned to TalkChristina Hunger7h4.5 (10.9K)$24 · $0.00
Craig & FredCraig Grossi8h 6m4.5 (9.6K)$26 · $0.00
Celebrating BirdsNatalia Rojas, Ana Maria Martinez6h 47m4.6 (330)$24 · $0.00
Saving JemimaJulie Zickefoose4h 59m4.5 (749)$20 · $0.00
Will's Red CoatTom Ryan8h 23m4.5 (2.3K)$26 · $0.00
Of Time and TurtlesSy Montgomery10h 34m4.5 (5K)$29 · $0.00
Zen and the Art of Saving the PlanetThich Nhat Hanh9h 20m4.5 (3.9K)$29 · $0.00
BLACK BEAUTY (With Original Illustrations)Anna Sewell7h 31m4.5 (1.3K)$1.99 · $0.00
Bottle of LiesKatherine Eban14h 25m4.4 (12K)$33 · $0.00
IngrainedCallum Robinson8h 10m4.5 (1.1K)$26 · $0.00
You may also like
THE THREE CRITIQUES: The Critique of Pure Reason, The Critique of Practical Reason & The Critique of JudgmentImmanuel Kant46h 8m4.2 (1.6K)$2 · $0.00
An Enquiry Concerning Human UnderstandingDavid Hume5h 22m4.1 (18.7K)$1 · $0.00
The Intelligent Investor Rev Ed.Benjamin Graham17h 48m4.3 (191.5K)$40 · $0.00
Introduction to Mathematical PhilosophyBertrand Russell9h4.1 (2.8K)$1 · $0.00
The Hot HandBenjamin Cohen8h 39m3.9 (1.6K)$26 · $0.00
The CategoriesAristotle2h 41m4.0 (2.2K)$1 · $0.00
Psychopathology of Everyday Life (Annotated)Sigmund Freud9h 34m4.0 (24.8K)$1.99 · $0.00
Tractatus Logico-PhilosophicusLudwig Wittgenstein4h 57m4.2 (31.9K)$1.99 · $0.00
MetaphysicsAristotle11h 38m4.2 (21.9K)$1.20 · $0.00
Fundamental Principles of the Metaphysics of MoralsImmanuel Kant3h 20m4.0 (28K)$2.30
Vision and Perception - A Conversation with Kalanit Grill-SpectorHoward Burton1h 56m$3 · $0.00
MAT Exam Prep 2026–2027Sani Sulaiman5h 47m$6.50 · $0.00
Selected Mathematical WorksLewis Carroll7h 5m$2 · $0.00
Mind Reading How To Read People's ThoughtsW. E. Skinner21m$2.40
Addiction: Essential Skills to Overcome Any Addiction and Prevent Relapse (A Guide for the Addict and the Family and Friends That Love Them and Support Their Recovery)Mason g, Thomas Johnson3h 5m$13 · $0.00
Speaking and Thinking - A Conversation with Victor FerreiraHoward Burton2h 32m$3 · $0.00
HumoristsPaul Johnson6h 59m3.3 (175)$17 · $0.00
The Science of GeniusScientific American6h 14m3.9 (13)$17
The Principles of AestheticsDe Witt H. Parker10h 3m3.9 (56)$1 · $0.00
The Game of LogicLewis Carroll2h 54m3.9 (613)$1 · $0.00