Abstract: Arguments about the interpretation and meaning of quantum theory have persisted since its birth in the early 20^th century to the present day. The difficulty of agreeing on fundamental aspects of quantum theory partly stems from its mathematical formulation, which obfuscated possible physical principles hiding therein. In recent years, quantum theory has shown its great potential in speeding up many information processing tasks such as computation and communication. Black box models, which are device-independent abstractions of input-output correlations of information-processing tasks, provide a valuable tool in our quest for information-theoretical principles of quantum physics. The quest for information theoretical principles of quantum physics diverges in two paths. On one hand, the internal mechanism of black boxes can be inferred from observing the their input-output correlations, while assuming they obey a global causal order. Such mechanisms can be classical probability theory, quantum theory or even some unknown theory with stronger-than-quantum correlations, all without violating the principles of relativity. On the other hand, it is possible that the inputs and outputs of several boxes are connected in a way such that separating the connections into causally distinct parts is impossible, while each black box obeys the laws of classical or quantum physics internally. A review of process in both paths shows that it is not easy to reconstruct quantum theory from information-theoretical principles. Understanding the physical intuition behind quantum theory may require both an accurate characterization of the internal mechanisms of black boxes and a deeper understanding of the causal orders that may arise from them.