There are two important areas of science that I think apply directly to a thorough understanding of human nature—neuroscience and evolution.
As the human species grows in its understanding of both of these, I believe we’ll find ways to combat a number of the societal ills with which we are currently beset. Not necessarily all, just some.
Not long ago I finished reading an excellent book by science writer Carl Zimmer, called “The Soul Made Flesh.” Zimmer writes about the history of the study of the brain and mind and he covers a fair amount of English history that is intertwined with that medical history.
I’ve always enjoyed listening to former Marion County Commissioner Howard Collett because of his ability “to think outside the box.”
For instance, I have heard Howard recommend planting the county’s dirt roads to buffalo grass to hold them in place from erosion and wear.
Such thinking requires a person to have the ability to leap from more commonly considered paths to those that usually are not thought of, but may end up having greater value.
But this article isn’t about dwelling on Howard’s merits, no matter how great they are. It’s about jumping out of the box to consider something new—and Howard’s buffalo-grass idea was an illustration.
This article is also not an opinion on whether the bond proposal based on a 1 percent sales tax to build a new county jail on the November ballot should pass or fail.
Author Philip K. Dick once said, “Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn’t go away.”
The best tool human minds have devised for understanding that reality is the scientific method. The greatest obstacle to increasing public understanding of that tool—especially in America—is that many people view the method itself as hostile to their way of thinking.
More often than not, it seems, people want to believe what they believe in spite of conflicting evidence or with no evidence at all. In those receptive to it, science works to pull back the reins on uncritical thinking.
The Fourth of July is almost upon us again. Patriotism and what this country means to me have been on my mind, particularly in this chaotic election year.
If you ask Europeans visiting the United States what they see as the No. 1 environmental problem here, it is interesting to hear the vast majority come up with the same opinion.
