"Science is wonderfully equipped to answer the question "How?" but it gets terribly confused when you ask the question "Why?""

Erwin Chargaff draws a distinction between two fundamental types of questions: those that pertain to mechanisms and those that relate to meaning or purpose. Science excels at uncovering mechanisms. When we seek to understand how physical phenomena occur, how cells replicate, how stars form, how diseases spread, science offers detailed, reliable methodologies to unravel the intricacies. Through observation, hypothesis, experimentation, and refinement, scientific inquiry steadily builds a robust understanding of natural processes. It can explain the structure and function of DNA, the physics governing thermodynamics, or the biochemical pathways sustaining life.

However, when confronted with questions of purpose, why the universe exists, why there is suffering, why life emerged from non-life, science finds itself out of its element. These are not questions that can be measured, observed, or tested in the conventional sense. The “why” implies intent, value, and meaning, which often belong more comfortably within the realms of philosophy, ethics, or theology. Attempting to answer “why” questions with the tools of physical science can result in confusion, reductionism, or unsatisfying answers. For example, while evolutionary biology might explain how complex life developed over eons, it cannot fully address why life should exist at all, or what, if any, ultimate purpose it serves.

Chargaff’s observation highlights the boundaries and humility required in scientific endeavor. While science can transform our material understanding and technological capacities, it does not claim comprehensive jurisdiction over all aspects of human curiosity. Seeking meaning and purpose draws us into different modes of inquiry, requiring reflection, interpretation, and sometimes the acceptance of mystery. The wisdom lies in recognizing what kinds of questions a method is suited to resolve, and what questions might remain fundamentally open or require other approaches for exploration and understanding. The complementarity of science and the humanities arises from each speaking to different dimensions of the human experience.