One trait of the Rationality movement that I find admirable, not only do they have the ability to admit when they are wrong, but they actively search for where they are wrong. Most religious people I know are too content with their understanding. They have a hard time imagining that they might be wrong.
It’s not enough for me to know when something is right. That’s only half the equation. I have to know when that same thing is wrong. I can’t be satisfied with knowing the following statement: “Giving plants liquids daily, makes them grow.” My veins are popping out of my neck just thinking about it.
It might be true for most circumstances. It’s definitely true for water. My question is, where is it not true? What liquids will not make a plant grow? It is not true for Gatorade. Plants will not grow, no matter how much Gatorade you give them. Ahhh, I can feel my blood pressure returning to normal. If you ran a battery of tests, varying the amount of water, trying liquids like tea or coffee, varying the temperature, you will likely only ever know the first half of the equation: “liquids make plans grow”. You must ask when it is not true, to know the whole truth.