Isaac Asimov on the Relativity of Wrong: How Scientific Theories Evolve Through Progressive Refinement
By
speckx
Front-window bakery material. Catches the eye, delivers the goods.
Summary
Isaac Asimov responds to a letter from an English Literature major who attempts to correct Asimov's scientific understanding. Asimov uses this as a springboard to discuss the nature of scientific progress and the concept of "wrongness" in science. He argues that scientific theories are not simply right or wrong, but exist on a spectrum of accuracy, with each new theory building upon and refining previous ones. Asimov illustrates this with examples from astronomy, geology, and other sciences, showing how even "wrong" theories contributed valuable insights to scientific progress.
Key quotes
· 4 pulledThe young man then quoted with approval what another English Lit major, John Keats, had said about science: 'Do not all charms fly at the mere touch of cold philosophy?'
When people thought the earth was flat, they were wrong. When people thought the earth was spherical, they were wrong. But if you think that thinking the earth is spherical is just as wrong as thinking the earth is flat, then your view is wronger than both of them put together.
The basic trouble, you see, is that people think that 'right' and 'wrong' are absolute; that everything that isn't perfectly and completely right is totally and equally wrong.
Theories are not so much wrong as incomplete.
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