Understanding 69 In my trivial example, the cat could eat a wire and change the operation of the black box. Now there is an open circuit where none existed before. If this happened, the output would change and we would need a new theory to explain it. If the circuit was attached to a missile control system or a life support system, you would really want a full understanding without waiting. It’s humans nature to try to open black boxes. This is what MRI scans, X-rays, particle accelerators and all our other tools of scientific investigation are for. We want to open all the black boxes of nature and see what is going on inside: simply waiting to see what happens is not acceptable. In a sense, we live in a black box. We experience the world through our senses, seeing with our eyes and feeling with our hands. The brain never directly experiences anything; it only infers the likelihood of LF PY s “al tt le , ¥ [A= é ' o my i. ee | & NS - NS eh es (er? F . = a i! i " Are de On yt Ny si m= If) Des, ie ngs te Pee } a | ey £ | H ny as | ae FP ) ‘| Fiat a Ee | ; ee : | ,: ie ; Vv ) A re oF Ya ANY | > ia Tarr \\ ee q a NY i Bee il Sars > = 4 Hh OSs ph nite Wau ain Sa =e = Lh Be nny Genes SY Fgh a fa i SA ae er py ae ent tei SF ge) “tape: I ea -' r he Se ete “ af 7 tS Vee yd ad in a SD eee Scene from The Miracle Worker. Helen Keller pictured at the moment she understood language. HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_015759