• Question: Whats your fav scientific word ?

    Asked by hoola to Andy on 12 Jun 2011.
    • Photo: Andy MacLeod

      Andy MacLeod answered on 12 Jun 2011:

      “Verisimilitude”

      Hi hoola. I like the way it sounds, the way it rolls off the tongue, but also the idea behind it.

      It means “the appearance of truth”. Any scientific theory we have about how the world works is based on evidence and observation. We’re always gathering more evidence to refine our theories, and make them closer to the truth. However, some people think it is impossible for us to have a completely, 100% accurate, theory of how the world REALLY is. The best we can hope for is to come up with a theory that is closer to the truth than the current view. A theory with more “verisimilitude”.

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