Why is it often necessary in scientific research to pursue 'the most fundamental causes'?

Let's put it this way, it's like learning to cook.

If you just follow a recipe step by step—for instance, if it says "add a spoonful of salt," you add a spoonful. It might work this time, but next time it could fail due to different ingredients or cooking temperatures. You wouldn't know why it failed, because you're just imitating, without understanding the actual role of salt here—is it for seasoning? To tenderize the meat? Or just for sterilization?

But if you delve into the root cause, you'll understand how salt (sodium chloride) molecules affect food flavor, and how they dehydrate vegetables and preserve meat through osmosis. Once you grasp these fundamental principles, you'll no longer rely on any recipe. You can even create new dishes, flexibly preparing delicious meals with whatever ingredients you have on hand. If you encounter a problem, like a dish being too salty, you can immediately think of a remedy (like adding sugar or vinegar to neutralize it), because you understand the underlying principles.

Scientific research operates on the same principle.

If scientists were merely content with "A and B explode when mixed," they would at best be methodical "demolition workers." But great scientists would ask: "Why does it explode? Is it due to unstable molecular structures? What kind of energy is instantly released? Which fundamental physical and chemical laws govern this process?"

Once they understand these most fundamental "whys," they master the "secret" to controlling energy release. This way, they can not only create explosives but also, conversely, design extremely stable new materials or invent new energy propulsion methods, such as rocket engines or nuclear power generation.

So, "inquiring into the most fundamental reasons" offers several core benefits:

1. It gives you true "knowledge," not just a collection of scattered "experiences." Experiences might become useless when the environment changes, but underlying principles are universal.
2. It is the only path to innovation. All disruptive inventions, from light bulbs to smartphones, didn't come from imitation and improvement, but from a profound understanding of fundamental principles like electricity, magnetism, and semiconductors.
3. It enables you to apply knowledge broadly and solve unknown problems. Just like understanding music theory allows you to play and compose various pieces, instead of just knowing how to play "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star."

To put it plainly, without inquiring into the fundamental reasons, you'll at best be a skilled craftsman; only by inquiring into the fundamental reasons can you become a master who establishes a new school of thought. The goal of science is to become that master who can compose the universe's "new symphony."