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Originally Posted by gzhpcu
I don't quite understand. Doesn't trying to explain why things work imply understanding what the things actually are?
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I don't think so. What does it mean to understand "what things actually are" ? That sounds rather mystical.
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How do mathematical predictive models differ from a black box approach? Neither know what things really are.
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Some mathematical models are black boxes. But when they are they tend to be purely phenomenological with an attendant lack of understanding of the applicability.
Better mathematical models such as Newtonian mechanics, classical electrodynamics, quantum mechanics, and relativity, provide more than just input-output relations but also provide some insight into the dynamics that produces those relations.
I have no idea what you mean by "what things really are". When you start talking about quantum mechanics I have less than no idea.