"there are three major reasons that people believe in ideas lacking sound supporting evidence: credo consolans, an unproven idea may be comforting if it predicts a good outcome, makes us feel powerful, or makes us feel in control; immediate gratification, an unproven idea may be attractive if it offers instant solutions for difficult problems; and easy explanations, an unproven idea may be accepted if it offers a simple story about something that is difficult to understand." Shermer, M. (1997). Why people believe weird things: Pseudoscience, superstition, and other confusions of our time. NY: Freeman.
Both above quotes from: Waterhouse L. Multiple Intelligences, the Mozart Effect, and Emotional Intelligence: A Critical Review. Educational Psychologist 2006; 41(4): 207-225.
Some (most?) constructs cannot be operationalized to permit meaningful quantitative scientific validation nor invalidation. Therefore, the most meaningful aspects of human life, such as love, will never be backed by "sound supporting (scientific) evidence." Yet many of us fantasize that nature operates by our "scientific laws" much the way Koch originally envisioned the behavior of pathogenic microorganisms. In fact, even these simple life forms failed to 'follow' any of his famed postulates. Like all scientific paradigms, it was the best simple model of reality available at the time.
It's critical for all of us to not take ourselves, our theories, or our tools too seriously. We must stay open to learning, not just in the sciences, but above all in places that scare every one of us - the big questions of life.
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| Canada geese over Nova Scotia, flying south for the winter |
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