Truth is a working hypothesis.
This is a weekly column consisting of letters to my perspicacious progeny. I write letters to my grandkids — the Stickies — eventual selves to advise them and haunt them after they've become grups and/or I'm deleted. Best perused on a screen large enough for even your parents to see and navigate easily.
Trigger Warning: This column is rated SSC — Sexy Seasoned Citizens — Perusal by kids, callowyutes, or grups may result in a debilitating meltdown.
"Believe nothing you hear, and only one half that you see." Edgar Allan Poe
Dear (eventual) Grandstickies and Great-Grandstickies (and Gentlereaders),
The search for truth is a never-ending process which is why I maintain that a wise H. sapien should always consider "the truth"a working hypothesis. And speaking of truth, I titled this column Truthiness because I'm not above deploying clickbait occasionally. A tip o' the hat to the former Steven Colbert, who was quite funny.
{Indeed. Well, thanks for clearing that up, Sparky. Let's go get a beer.}
In a minute, Dana. I want to expand on my premise, or to use one of the currently most popular words in podcasting (and elsewhere), I wish to unpack it.
{More clickbait? If I truthfully promise to buy, could we...}
I maintain that any scientist worth his/her/their salt, although they don't usually state it out loud, when discussing/declaring/declaiming a scientific fact or three, is aware that what they are saying is provisional, by definition.
<DANA HEAVES HEAVY SIGH>
{Do tell.}
That is to say, such and so is a hard, indisputable fact... until/unless we discover otherwise. A scientist worth his/her/their salt takes this for granted. The search for truth, particularly truth with practical applications that make getting out of bed in the morning slightly more pleasant for the average H. sapien is a noble pursuit.
Big BUT.
The search for truth must never cease and desist as far as a true scientist/scholar/journalist/etceterist is concerned. This is also a noble pursuit, and it's what makes the game fun.
{Journalists? Like, seriously dude?}
There are still some real ones around although they're getting harder and harder to find. A bunch of them have landed on Substack and with a bit lot of luck may bring about a reformation of the profession. According to Wikipedia, the (tragically) awokened, The New Yorker, looks down its nose at Substack, so they must be doing something right.
Anyways... although the truth is undoubtedly important, often vital, frequently close enough is good enough. In fact, is often the best we can do.
{You have a keen eye for the obvious, sir, now can we...}
Patience is a virtue, my favorite literary device, permit me to continue unpacking.
I began by mentioning that even scientific truth is provisional; an occasional minor/major paradigm shift is always possible. Everyone knows that it was once common knowledge (and common sense) that the Earth is orbited by the Sun, a fact confirmed by looking up occasionally.
Keeping track of where and when provided all sorts of practical/useful applications. Copernicus put an end to that notion, but not until 1515, and it took better than a century (and turning an occasional heretic into a steak at the stake) before his truth was accepted.
Although everything changed, scientifically speaking, people still had to set their alarm clocks to get to work on time and have snow tires mounted on their cars in the fall (all-season radials are a fairly recent phenomenon).
Close enough was good enough till we got to truthier truth, and along the way, we made the best of it. And speaking of being worth one's salt, any more or less well-adjusted grup knows to take everything with a grain of salt.
{And why, pray tell, have you gone on a truth ramble?}
Covid, Hunter Biden, the Mexican border, Nancy Pelosi...
<INSERT SEVERAL HUNDRED PAGES OF ETCETEROIDS HERE>
Nowadays, many people don't think twice about declaring unsettled questions settled and canceling heretics — while simultaneously weaponizing journalistic speculation, narratives, "settled science," and Wokie dogma — for secular-religious reasons and/or fun and profit.
{Huh?}
For example, it looks like: 1) The WuFlu plague is a likely product of the Wuhan Institute of Virology, not a Chinese "wet market."
2) That the Fauchmeister was/is funding gain of function research but with enough cutouts between him and it to provide him with plausible deniability.
{There's no h in Faucmeister, in fact, it ain't even a real word... and that's the truth.}
But until a few minutes ago the alleged fact-checkers and the high priests of the Intersectional Inquisition were certain both of these statements were false, and censored, cautioned, or canceled accordingly.
On a related note, the highest-paid employee of The Fedrl Gummit, Dr. Fauci, recently said that he might retire after this year's midterm election and teach a class at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government called Statements, Press Releases, and Congressional Hearings: How to communicate without really saying anything that might bitecha on the bum later.
{There's no such word as bitecha, in fact, your "related note" is a complete fabrication and...}
Like many a Joe or Joan bag-o-donuts, he's concerned he might have to reduce his expenses or even take out a reverse mortgage to maintain a reasonably comfortable lifestyle.
{Is this column finally "finished/complete/over?" Can we go get a beer now?}
Poppa loves you,
Have an OK day
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