English-prime, of course, relates well to common scientific jargon. Things never are until you can say with precision and confidence that they are. Instead they

English-prime, of course, relates well to common scientific jargon. Things never are until you can say with precision and confidence that they are. Instead they "might" or "may" and are always qualified by lists of assumptions. Even the structure of scientific papers is carefully wrought so that background and assumptions play an important role in the opening, then methods, then uninterpreted results, then beliefs and interpretations in order of increasing scope (and decreasing likelihood). It's amazingly tiresome, but it's a culture designed to — used properly — prevent you from thinking yourself into a corner or over-stretching your evidence. I wouldn't be surprised if it also inspired creativity and diminished functional fixedness as well.