Schneier on Security

Clive Robinson • July 19, 2017 7:19 AM

@ Love,

While I’m interested and buying the bundle, is the info still relevant?

Yes, without a doubt.

There are two important things knowledge teaches us,

1, Facts to use and build upon.
2, Knowledge of how to find facts.

Nearly all facts are not actually facts when first thought about, they are observed coincidences, that give rise to hypotheses. Such hypotheses are usually testable[1] and produce the same results for different people in different places. With time different tests are devised and if the original hypothesis survive the tests they become facts and on the road to becoming laws.

The fact some hypothesis is at some point found to have issues does not of necessity render it usless. For instance Newton’s laws are more than sufficient to navigate around the Solar System. Einstein’s equations do produce results that more accurately match the behaviour of “nature” but even they don’t match everything.

But importantly the process of testing gets improved and this knowledge helps find new observations and coincidences thus hypotheses. Such testing often is found to be applicable to more than one domain of knowledge or field of endever. Thus even failures provide steping stones to improved knowledge.

[1] Reliable testing can only be done with suitable measurands that are standardized. This in it’s self has it’s own field of endevor metrology (the science of measurment). It also has it’s own issues with standards as a look at how the way we are changing the methods of obtaining fundemental standards for the SI Units will show.