Happy Sunday!

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“Science is the study of proving itself wrong.”

-Scott Bergeson, BYU Professor of Physical Science

From early to mid-20th century, scientists agreed that great white sharks were super rare in the Atlantic ocean.

As shark attacks and sightings began to be reported off the coasts of the northeastern United States and Canada in the ‘60s and 70’s, scientists realized they were dead wrong.

Turns out the scientists had just assumed that since places like the Pacific and Indian Oceans had tons of documented sightings of great whites, and the Atlantic didn’t yet, that they must just not live there.

Which reminds me about how smoking was once widely considered safe—believe it or not!

In the early to mid-20th century, smoking was endorsed by many doctors, with ads even claiming cigarettes as a healthy choice, especially for pregnant women(!).

It wasn't until the 1950s that new research linked smoking to lung cancer and heart disease, that scientists started walking back their endorsements.

And then there’s Galileo. When he started teaching the heliocentric model of the solar system—that the Earth revolves around the sun—he ended up charged with heresy by the Catholic Church and being confined to house arrest until he died 9 years later.

It took over 350 years before Pope John Paul II acknowledged that Galileo was right.

So… sharks, smoking, and astronomy.

Why are we so good at being wrong?:

• We are mortal beings with extremely limited understanding of the universe, so all it takes is one new discovery to totally nuke what we used to think was true.

• Also, we’re prideful. We’re super quick to assume we know way more than we do, and claim certain things to be “irrefutable facts” when there’s actually a heck of a lot we still don’t know.

What’s the lesson here?

It’s simple: build the habit of staying open-minded (but not gullible)

Just like Galileo faced backlash for his groundbreaking ideas, we need to embrace that same spirit and reassess our ideas as new information comes our way.

Here’s how I’ve been working on my open-mindedness:

1. Seek Out Fresh Perspectives: Instead of just sticking to what I know, I dive into articles, videos, and research that challenge my thinking. It’s wild how much there is to learn out there!

2. Have Those Conversations: I try to stay chill when chatting with people who think differently. These discussions often bring up insights that I would have never considered on my own.

3. Take Time to Reflect: After I learn something new, I pause to think about it. If this idea were true, what else might that imply? What else do I know about this subject? What other evidence could I seek to gain clarity?

How can you be both open-minded, yet not gullible? I’m still figuring that out myself.

But just like the once-misunderstood great white shark, the dangerous misconceptions about smoking, and Galileo’s revolutionary ideas, we can grow and evolve when we challenge our own beliefs.

And if you’re a praying person, ask God. Sometimes it’s hard to discern on your own what’s right or true - so if you aren’t sure, ask the Creator of the Universe.

He knows stuff. 🙂 And He wants to teach you:

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- Kody

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P.S. These take 3 hours to research, write, and design. It only takes you 3 seconds to share.