Heroes Not Zombies

Here’s an excellent post on the School of Life blog by David Eagleman. He says…

….science never fails to provide more questions.  What we really discover from a life in science is the vastness of our ignorance.  When we reach the end of the pier of everything we understand, we find all the uncharted waters of what we do not know.  Given that, I’m surprised at the number of books in the bookstore that are penned with certainty.

This always surprises me too. The most strident promoters of scientism seem so sure of themselves. How can they be so sure and be scientists? Isn’t science about wonder, amazement, curiosity, and, indeed, a humble scepticism which never reaches the absolute, final last word on anything? For me, science is about trying to understand, and, maybe it’s because I’ve worked all my life as a doctor, but I’m never at the point where I’ve understood everything about anyone. And I never stop trying.