We all know that the earth revolves around the sun, that engines drive our cars every day, and that we pay taxes each month. But do we know the reasoning and evidence behind these facts, among others? Can you explain why it is that the earth circles the sun, rather than the other way around? Could you define how your car engine was built and how it functions? Would you be able to perfectly describe how our tax policies were created, what they mean, and why?
The largest problem society faces today is fast acceptance of facts. Many people can’t explain the “why” behind the things they know. As a whole, one of mankind’s greatest powers is the collective knowledge that we share, gathered and studied over lifetimes, now at our fingertips. But it’s important to know the sources, origins, and reasons why you choose to believe something is a fact, rather than taking it at face value.
The Big Ambitious Thing
What do you believe right now that is real and true? Start by making a list, either in your head, or on paper. Now, confront those things you think you know, don’t just scratch the surface.
This is something we’re all guilty of from time to time. Growing up being taught certain facts or ideas, reading about new discoveries, news reports, and so on, and just taking in general knowledge. There’s nothing wrong with any of this, but what many of us forget to do is ask ourselves (what I like to call) the Big Ambitious Thing: “why?”
The journey of asking “why” is often not clear cut, which is why many people either don’t ask the question, or give up shortly after trying to learn more. Based on each of our lists of what we believe is real and true, digging deeper is always much more difficult than reading a headline or taking what someone says at face value. We have forgotten how to ask good questions. While googling “why does earth revolve around the sun” may be a good start, digging deeper and asking questions such as, “why is the gravity of the sun stronger than the gravity of earth?” or “what evidence supports circular orbits?”, and so on, with the goal in mind of gaining a deeper understanding of the original fact you were taught as a child.
If you were asked to write, say, a 2-page paper on every fact you know, would you have enough background knowledge to fill two pages? Rather than telling yourself, “I’ll look into it later”, or “I already know enough about that”, challenge yourself. There is no such thing as having too much knowledge on a subject, and there is always more to learn.
“I believe in evidence. I believe in observation, measurement, and reasoning, confirmed by independent observers. I’ll believe anything, no matter how wild and ridiculous, if there is evidence for it. The wilder and more ridiculous something is, however, the firmer and more solid the evidence will have to be.” -Isaac Asimov
The Brain Vomit 