To obtain a valid patent, does an Inventor Need to Know Why his Invention Works?

This issue has recently generated comments.  The answer is “no”.  As explained by the Supreme Court in Diamond Rubber:

“A patentee may be baldly empirical, seeing nothing beyond his experiments and the result ***. It is certainly not necessary that [the inventor] understand or be able to state the scientific principles underlying his invention ***.”

Diamond Rubber Co. v. Consol. Rubber Tire Co., 220 U.S. 428, 435–36 (1911)

(citations omitted)

Regards,
Hal