EH - 39 : What we believe

Humans need to make sense of situations in order to know how to proceed. But with data and input coming in from many different sources requiring affirmation of veracity, we develop constructs to replace the things we don't know. These black boxes hold the answer that we know and the nebulous input of jumble - facts, figures, ideas and the like - that when sorted out will lead to the proper answer. We based our desire to learn on a concept called truth, but we leave these black boxes unexplored based on a cursory projection on where that answer will lead and how it fits into our current way of looking at things. These leaps have gaps - the gaps should be filled in.

This essay on science discusses gaps between science theory and public knowledge. The public grasps sports very well - why not use the models of sports to teach science. Science is a means of thinking, of questioning facts and eliminating bad answers. Today when the information stream contains so mych disinformation and misinformation, we have to question our whole process of basing the future on the actions of the past. Historians may be good at figuring out the reality of the past, but the historic legends seem to be more myth than fact - and basing decision-making on myth - well... that seems to be the domain of science today.