I don't think it's got anything to do with 'hard science' -...

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    I don't think it's got anything to do with 'hard science' - engineering and IT


    IMO - it's to do with complexity ---------- ie. systems

    like say the universe or climate or the human body


    one can have 'findings' - but, it's the conclusions and assumptions where we fall down -

    and, even if we get something right - under a certain set of conditions - in a complex system - if one small factor changes a little - the entire system might react differently in another part

    and, once you tinker around with one part - you can often get a cascade of intervention


    so - for instance - in medicine - you might have one problem - so, you fix that - but, you create 3 other problems - you fix each of those 3 - and, whoosh - you create 3 more for each one of those you fix

    and, it gets worse - each person is different - so, once you chuck polypharmacy in the mix - you've got bugger all idea of how an individual will react to the medicinal interventions

    to me - it's why we don't know the climate - it's why models don't work - it's why we have so many stuffups in medicine and why we have huge holes in knowledge about the universe etc.

    whatever the hell it is that we live in ------ it's a very complicated system and I wouldn't say impossible to understand - but, most certainly - a hell of a task - and, will take a long long time to get even a basic grip on

    some of us think we know a fair bit about it now - but, the reality is - we know very little and the more we learn - the more we realise just how much we do not know
 
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