Pretty much the title
In: 210
There are always gaps in our understanding of mechanisms, and there always will be – such is the nature of scientific discovery. There is always another layer underneath a mechanistic explanation. If I ask you how a car works, you may tell me about an internal combustion engine. Then I ask how that works, and you will explain engine design along with thermodynamics and maybe Newtonian mechanics. Then I’ll ask how the fuel burns, and you’ll explain combustion chemistry and oxidation. Then I’ll ask how that works, and you’ll explain physics principles like potential energy, heat, entropy, etc. Then I’ll ask how that works, and maybe you’ll get into quantum mechanics or something. Eventually, we are going to reach a point where I ask “how does that work?” And you’re forced to answer, “we haven’t figured that out yet.” But here’s the thing: when we do figure it out, there will be an answer to my question, but also another question of “well, then how does THAT work?” And so on.
Pretty sure I can still establish that stepping on the gas makes the car go 😉
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