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It’s what we don’t know that makes science so fun, Part 1
Do scientists have it all figured out? Ask most scientists that and I think you would get the answer: not even close. But, ask the average person that and I think they may have a quite different opinion.
We’ve been told for so long — about a couple hundred years anyway — that if science hasn’t revealed all the mysteries in the universe, just give it a little more time and maybe a few gazillion more research dollars. Science popularizers, journalists and probably most teachers have promoted this idea: we are getting close. Philosopher Karl Popper called this “promissory materialism.”
In 1996, science journalist John Horgan published a book with a clickbait title called The End of Science. A 2009 Guardian article said:
“[Horgan] claimed that the basic scaffolding of the natural world is now mostly understood — the big bang theory, the structure of DNA and evolution by natural selection and the periodic table of elements are not going to change. Yes, many refinements are needed in our understanding of how things work, but as we are closer to reality in so many fields, the chances of seeing revolutionary new thinking will be that much less.”
Horgan’s book generated a great deal of controversy and criticism. Many scientists were scandalized by the suggestion. Science was seen…
