from Hacker News

There's always more history (2020)

by isp on 7/10/23, 5:34 PM with 9 comments

• by bovermyer on 7/11/23, 3:27 PM

  A related exercise that may be of interest: five levels of "why."

  Find a willing friend or coworker, and ask them why they did something with a project of theirs. When they answer that, ask them "why" about their answer. Do this a total of five times.

  After the second "why," they'll probably have to think pretty hard. The fourth or fifth "why" sometimes elicits a "because it's just done that way" or "I dunno" response.

  Then let them do the same to you.

  It's a fun exercise.

• by KineticLensman on 7/11/23, 2:50 PM

  >> the difference between answers and explanation.

  This is quite a profound point, and worth reading the article for

• by phatskat on 7/11/23, 2:55 PM

  As a vim user, I’ve always just assumed the home row bit - very cool to learn more of the history behind it

• by bsrhng on 7/11/23, 9:00 PM

  I think he discovered cultural history.

  Also uses the word "excavating", maybe he read a bit of Foucault.