Curriculum / 01 · How to know
Theme 01 · LessonsHow to know
See clearly. Test hard. Fail usefully. Prefer evidence over authority — and treat “I don’t know” as strength.
Work through them in order
Each lesson is a Concept Development Study taught Socratically. Keep a notebook; answer every pause before you read on.
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1
Seeing vs believing
Observation is not belief. Falsifiable claims take a risk; empty ones don’t. “I don’t know — here is how we’d find out” is where inquiry starts. Includes an Occam note on the road mirage.
Start Lesson 1 → -
2
Falsifiability
A claim is scientific only if something could prove it wrong. Spot claims rescued by excuses or hidden in vagueness, then design a test — fixed in advance — that could kill your own favourite idea. Includes an Occam note on the cost of excuses.
Start Lesson 2 → -
3
Choosing your questions
Every question is a road, and some lead to misery. Check a question before you answer it: is it answerable, is it testable, what does it assume, what does success optimise — and who pays if you succeed? Includes an Occam note on the question that assumes least.
Start Lesson 3 →
More lessons in this theme are in preparation.
Method adapted from John S. Hutchinson, Concept Development Studies in Chemistry (Connexions / Rice, CC BY 2.0).