Re:Recreating Our Galaxy in a Supercomputer
by a_throwaway3838 on Friday September 09, 2016 @05:47PM
(#12466290)
It might seem small, but I'd argue that the difference in phrases is pretty stark.
Saying we "have a better model of"-something leaves room for further exploration and interpretation. It's admission that there's room for different possibilities, and its not taking an /absolute/ position on something.
But saying something "has answered questions" comes off as absolute and final. Is 1+1=2? Yes. Answered. Case closed. If you're going to say that "The simulation solves a decades-old mystery", then you'd better be damn sure that your simulation is correct, your interpretations are correct, your simulation correctly reflects physical reality, etc.
Saying we "have a better model of"-something leaves room for further exploration and interpretation. It's admission that there's room for different possibilities, and its not taking an /absolute/ position on something.
But saying something "has answered questions" comes off as absolute and final. Is 1+1=2? Yes. Answered. Case closed. If you're going to say that "The simulation solves a decades-old mystery", then you'd better be damn sure that your simulation is correct, your interpretations are correct, your simulation correctly reflects physical reality, etc.