I’ve got a theory about gravity, not just a theory, an explanation for how gravity works. I can tell you, dear reader, exactly why bodies of mass are drawn together. My theory is clear, simple and above all correct. I know this because I have proven it. The proof is all around, as clear as sky. Allow me to explain…
My theory of gravity is simple, all objects on this earth have invisible pieces of string attached to them, upon the oppisite end of which little invisible goblins hang off. That’s correct – invisible goblins.
What do you mean you don’t believe me? Fine, I’ll prove it to you…
Pick up a pencil (or any other object you have to hand) hold it at arms length over the floor and prepare to release it (being mindful of any children or animals below). Now if my theory is correct, when you release the pencil, the Gravity Goblin (as I have christened them) will pull upon the invisible string, drawing the pencil towards the floor.
Ready…?
Release…!
Theory proven. I thank you.
Obviously, this is bollocks. But I tell it to illustrate a key part of the scientific process – falsification. Falsification allows us to differentiate between Gravity Goblins and Isaac Newton. Any monkey can “prove” a hypothesis (I’m using the more scientifically appropriate term now), finding evidence in support of a hypothesis is easy. Just pick any phenomena you fancy and make up some bullshit to connect cause and effect.
Soap bubbles in the washing up bowl? – Microscopic scuba elves.
Crystal Healing? – Energy flow and focusing and karma and that…
Homeopathic Remedies? – Diluted sub-molecular chemical memory or something…
The massive diversity of life on Earth and the subtle interactions and behaviours therein? – God.
For a hypothesis to be scientifically tested (and hence logically robust) you’ve got to attempt to prove it wrong. You’ve got to be prepared to say “if my hypothesis is correct, I can hit it with the sledgehammer of reason and it won’t crack”. Suggest a way to break it and invite others to try, if it stands up, well done, you’ve got yourself a robust theory.
Despite what you may (or may not) have thought, this kind of thinking doesn’t come naturally to our human brains. We have a habit of favouring evidence that supports our beliefs while giving less weight to the opposing evidence. Psychologists call this effect ‘confirmation bias’. Understanding our natural tendency towards confirmation bias makes it all the more clearer why a scientific, rational approach to exploring ideas is so powerful.
Without knowing how to properly test our ideas, how to prove them wrong, we’d never be able to develop our ideas, to differentiate fact from superstition. Without falsification, we could all be believing in Gravity Goblins.
