"Why?" is a book about the explanations we give and how we give them - a fascinating look at the way the reasons we offer every day are dictated by, and help constitute, social relationships. Written in an easy-to-read style by distinguished social historian Charles Tilly, the book explores the manner in which people claim, establish, negotiate, repair, rework, or terminate relations with others through the reasons they give. Tilly examines a number of different types of reason giving. For example, he shows how an air traffic controller would explain the near miss of two aircraft in several different ways, depending upon the intended audience: for an acquaintance at a cocktail party, he might shrug it off by saying "This happens all the time," or offer a chatty, colloquial rendition of what transpired; for a colleague at work, he would venture a longer, more technical explanation, and for a formal report for his division head he would provide an exhaustive, detailed account.Tilly demonstrates that reasons fall into four different categories: Convention: "I'm sorry I spilled my coffee; I'm such a klutz." Narratives: "My friend betrayed me because she was jealous of my sister." Technical cause-effect accounts: "A short circuit in the ignition system caused the engine rotors to fail." Codes or workplace jargon: "We can't turn over the records. We're bound by statute 369." Tilly illustrates his topic by showing how a variety of people gave reasons for the 9/11 attacks. He also demonstrates how those who work with one sort of reason frequently convert it into another sort. For example, a doctor might understand an illness using the technical language of biochemistry, but explain it to his patient, who knows nothing of biochemistry, by using conventions and stories. Replete with sparkling anecdotes about everyday social experiences (including the author's own), "Why?" makes the case for stories as one of the great human inventions.

作者：查尔斯•蒂利（Charles Tilly）（1929-2008）是20世纪下半叶和21世纪初世界最杰出的社会科学家之一，被誉为“21世纪社会学之父”、“美国最多产、最有趣的社会学家”。蒂利于1950年本科毕业于哈佛大学，1958年获哈佛大学社会学博士学位，并曾求学 于英国牛津大学和法国西部天主教大学。先后任教于特拉华大学、哈佛大学、多伦多大学、密歇根大学、社会研究新学院和哥伦比亚大学，生前为哥伦比亚大学约瑟夫•L. 伯滕威泽社会科学讲席教授，在社会学、政治学与历史学三系同时任教。是美国国家科学院、美国人文与科学院、美国哲学院院士，美国科学促进会、社会学研究学会、比较研究学会特约会员，密歇根大学、多伦多大学、巴黎政治学院、鹿特丹大学、日内瓦大学、斯特拉斯堡大学、魁北克大学、克里特大学等校荣誉博士，并获法国棕榈叶教育骑士勋章、社会科学研究委员会阿尔伯特•O. 赫希曼奖、美国社会学会终身成就奖、国际政治学会卡尔•多伊奇奖以及美国社会学会、社会问题学会和美国政治学会民主化专业委员会的年度最佳著作奖等荣誉。蒂利的研究集中于宏观社会变迁与抗争政治（尤其是1500年以降的欧洲），一生出版了五十多部学术著作，发表了六百多篇学术论文和评论。他的《从动员到革命》被美国社会学会选为1970–1995年最具影响的十七部著作之一，《从动员到革命》和《斗争的动力》均跻身社会学史上引用率最高的著作。蒂利被广泛视为历史社会学和抗争政治研究的奠基人。

译者：李钧鹏，哥伦比亚大学社会学系博士候选人。曾任《社会力》（Social Forces）副主编，现任《民族与民族主义研究》（Studies in Ethnicity and Nationalism）编委会委员。主要研究领域为抗争政治、知识分子和历史社会科学。曾获国际社会学会世界青年社会学家奖，中英文文章刊于《社会学研究》、《读书》、Politics and Religion等刊物。