Knowledge

Conventional wisdom is insufficient. We think we know a topic but when closely examined, it turns out we don’t. Consider this case. For a long time, scientists thought the cerebellum was only there to make sensory motor functions work.  It was the “lizard brain,” making sure we can walk upright, grasp objects, sit and stand. Now, science is revising its views.  “…what they found was that just 20 percent of the cerebellum was dedicated to areas involved in physical motion, while 80 percent was dedicated to areas involved in functions such as abstract thinking, planning, emotion, memory and language.” The more we know the less we know. That is why conventional understandings should be accepted with caution. It is what we grasp now but might not be the case in the future. PR practitioners work with facts and stress accuracy, but there is always a chance facts might change. Hence, one should hedge statements rather than proclaim them with certainty. As far as we know, this is the case, but our understanding might be limited. This leaves room for deeper knowledge.