Reply #38: "all existing documentation indicates 41, but proof remains elusive" [View All]

[bhikkhu]

But seriously - to be sure beyond a reasonable doubt is not a difficult thing - it is only to weigh the probabilities of one thing and alternative explanations. To be "certain" is where belief comes into play and difficulties arise. If it can be shown that certainty is not in itself possible but is desired, then belief is applied - closing the mind to alternative explanations. This is entirely conventional, common and practical in day to day living. But the deeper you read into the history of science the more you may find this "closing of the mind" as a cause of excessive conservatism. The closed mind relies upon convention and arguments of logic, where science would value more highly evidence and observation.