How might you explain the simplicity and the limitations of science to a person who believes that the concept of science is too complex to understand?

Answer 1

Explaining an analogous situation is probably the best way to understand this concept.

For example, let's say that you misplaced the keys to your car, and you need to find them as soon as possible. You would probably start off by looking in the most likely places for a key - on top of your dresser, in your pockets, perhaps the kitchen counter.

It would be great if you could find misplaced objects this easily every time, but that's not how things always work. Your keys might have fallen in between the cushions of your couch, or gotten lost somewhere in your back yard (both very difficult places to think of searching).

But since you need your keys to open your car, you're just going to have to keep looking until you find them, wherever they might be.

Science works in the same basic way.

Researchers know that somewhere out there is answer to problems such as cancer, malaria, and finding renewable energy sources. These answers are very much like your car keys - sometimes they're in the first place you look, but more often, you have to think very hard to realize where they are, or just randomly guess where they might be until you find them.

The process of finding scientific 'car keys' is really very simple - you actually do the same kind of thing every day.

But if you've ever had to find your car keys when you're late to an important meeting (and the keys are absolutely nowhere to be seen), you can understand just how frustrating and limiting the scientific process can be.

So looking for actual car keys and trying to find 'scientific keys' really aren't very different at all.

The only real difference is in magnitude - scientific keys unlock 'cars' that have the potential to affect the entire human race (like a cure for cancer), but they also take a lot longer to find (sometimes more than fifty years!).