9.5 Be humble about what we know and what we don’t know

Science is fantastic. Philosophy is brilliant. Our intuition, instinct and wisdom are amazing New Magna Carta Mediumcapacities that have enabled us to survive and thrive against the odds. Yet, none of those ways of interacting with the world is perfect. We can’t explain all the things that we would like to explain. Many of the things that we think are true actually aren’t – we just don’t realise that yet. Vast numbers of discoveries are yet to be made. Just as we look back on the beliefs of previous eras with a patronising smile, future generations will look back at us. How could they be so stupid? Why couldn’t they see it? Why did they cling to those outdated theories for so long? How could they keep making the same mistakes over and over again? A glance at history shows that the arrogance of certainty leads to war, oppression, waste of resources, failed businesses, unhappy relationships, military defeats and suppression of freedom and creativity. So, while confidently asserting the beliefs that we do have, hold them lightly, with an open mind, with mature scepticism, and continuously strive for better ways of seeing, knowing and doing.