Humans crave explanation. From a four-year-old's question "Why is the sky blue?" to the search for the Higg's Boson, people of all ages and walks of life are driven to question the ways of the universe. Too often, however, the explanations offered are inadequate, incomplete, superficial, or downright wrong.

An explanation is a description of a phenomenon. But not just any description will do. A successful explanation increases our understanding of or accommodation with the phenomenon.

An explanation provide a reason or justification for the phenomenon. Such a justification assumes a logical framework using which predications can be made about the circumstances required for the phenomenon to arise again.

The framework also provides a set of rules for what constitutes reasonable expectations. For example, a reasonable explantation for a mathematician might require a proof, while a judge might require a relevant precedent. The implication is that the audience has an important say in judging the adequacy of an explanation.

Inherent also in an explanation is its context: the boundaries within which the explanation resides. For example, there is likely no need to describe the general theory of relativity in explaining why I fell down, if a simple "I stepped on an icy patch" will suffice.

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