Welsh Cake,
I don’t ignore what we know, and I have a strong background in mathematics and probability. Mathematics has taught me that we create “rules” to explain observed patterns of phenomena. We review, correct our “rules” or theorems as further observation identifies flaws in the previous rules. This is true of Newtonian laws and many others.
My other background, psychology, has taught me that everyone’s perceptions are their realities, and that everyone’s reality is unique even when those realities share common threads. History is one of my many hobbies, and it has taught me that every generation of humans has assumed that their knowledge is the correct one, and that includes medicine.
The particle acceleration tunnel in Switzerland is working on demonstrating the infinity of what to us is the micro world. The Americas did not exist to Europeans until Christopher Columbus found them in his way to the Indies. The Portuguese King laughed at Columbus’ calculations of the size of the Earth and the Portuguese knew the size of the Earth much better than Columbus. The Portuguese were only off by 600 nautical miles. Columbus had assumed that the Earth was only 2/3 of it size. The Spaniards’ calculations were very similar to those of the Portuguese and King Ferdinand of Spain also laughed at Columbus. Torquemada was the private confessor of the Queen of Spain, Isabella. He convinced the Queen to support Columbus because Columbus was a devout Catholic. Torquemada was the fanatical cardinal that later convinced Isabella to establish the Inquisition.
Torquemada knew nothing about math, navigation, or geography, and Columbus was luckier than intelligent. He found the Americas because they were there, not because he was looking for them. Science, mathematics, and other knowledge would have prevented all rational humans from navigating west from Europe in search of land because all the land they knew existed in Africa and Eurasia and the trip west would represent a longer trip through open ocean. At the end, it was ignorance and influence that won over all the scientific knowledge of the time.
I am not advocating for ignorance but for open mindedness and creative thinking. In spite of how much every generation has assumed they knew, and we think we know, it would be safe to say that all the scientific knowledge we have to present could be turn on its head over night. The alternative is not to adopt a belief, but rather to constantly look for the flaws on what we assume we know. That is how we debunk false assumptions. Drawing comfort from what we think we know and defending it as “true” amounts to conformism.
I don’t ignore what we know, and I have a strong background in mathematics and probability. Mathematics has taught me that we create “rules” to explain observed patterns of phenomena. We review, correct our “rules” or theorems as further observation identifies flaws in the previous rules. This is true of Newtonian laws and many others.
My other background, psychology, has taught me that everyone’s perceptions are their realities, and that everyone’s reality is unique even when those realities share common threads. History is one of my many hobbies, and it has taught me that every generation of humans has assumed that their knowledge is the correct one, and that includes medicine.
The particle acceleration tunnel in Switzerland is working on demonstrating the infinity of what to us is the micro world. The Americas did not exist to Europeans until Christopher Columbus found them in his way to the Indies. The Portuguese King laughed at Columbus’ calculations of the size of the Earth and the Portuguese knew the size of the Earth much better than Columbus. The Portuguese were only off by 600 nautical miles. Columbus had assumed that the Earth was only 2/3 of it size. The Spaniards’ calculations were very similar to those of the Portuguese and King Ferdinand of Spain also laughed at Columbus. Torquemada was the private confessor of the Queen of Spain, Isabella. He convinced the Queen to support Columbus because Columbus was a devout Catholic. Torquemada was the fanatical cardinal that later convinced Isabella to establish the Inquisition.
Torquemada knew nothing about math, navigation, or geography, and Columbus was luckier than intelligent. He found the Americas because they were there, not because he was looking for them. Science, mathematics, and other knowledge would have prevented all rational humans from navigating west from Europe in search of land because all the land they knew existed in Africa and Eurasia and the trip west would represent a longer trip through open ocean. At the end, it was ignorance and influence that won over all the scientific knowledge of the time.
I am not advocating for ignorance but for open mindedness and creative thinking. In spite of how much every generation has assumed they knew, and we think we know, it would be safe to say that all the scientific knowledge we have to present could be turn on its head over night. The alternative is not to adopt a belief, but rather to constantly look for the flaws on what we assume we know. That is how we debunk false assumptions. Drawing comfort from what we think we know and defending it as “true” amounts to conformism.
