More precisely, what are the potential consequences of applying old theories to new situations without testing them first? The easiest answer is that most of the time, we don’t know it’s a new situation and/or an old theory until it fails. Putting that aside, the c onsequences are many. Keep in mind, though, sometimes testing is impossible as in some economic or cosmological theories. Testing Einstein’s general theory of relativity had to await instrumentality development that could do so. Here are some other consequences of failure to test or inappropriate use. 1. It is a sometimes expensive way to find the old theory needs repair. (Aeronautics, encryption, numerical analysis) 2. Overgeneralization. (Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs) 3. It can sometimes cause lives or great damage. (Bridge design, large machinery) 4. It can make inaccurate predictions and consequent decisions. (Ineffective vaccines, medical procedures, legal or military strategies, c
Why is Science Always Changing? Consider knowledge, which includes any particular science you have in mind such as physics or medicine. In the diagram, note the center ring is all the knowledge you have, as in know. The next ring out contains all the knowledge (e.g. science) you don’t know. The outer ring includes all the knowledge you not only don’t know but don’t know you don’t know. Inside the small center ring is included a smaller ring of all those things you may believe you know, but know incorrectly. Each of these containers changes with time. As you learn more, the enter ring enlarges, possibly because you have concluded more knowledge or have solved one the your known unknowns. That is, you solved a problem. Also, over time, you may have discovered something you believed to be correct was not correct after all. You now may know what is correct, or it has become a new known unknown. Both of these happen all the time, us personally, for every science, and all sciences o