Why? in science. - C. van Fraassen Have you ever thought about the way your car works? The inner works of the engine, how does the fuel make it work, how does combustion lead to movement and is then passed to the wheels? If you have, what are you going to answer an 8-year-old kid when he asks: “Why does the car move?” Are you going to start explaining high school physics, mechanics, chemistry of combustion and the concept of friction? Or are you just going to say: “Well, the car eats up gas, and that makes the engine move the wheels.” Granted, the latter doesn’t explain much about what a car is. But it a