The middle column is the only game in town. All productive science uses it, whether explicitly or unwittingly.

The left is pessimistic about the cosmos and is endlessly surprised to find that animals can count; or ‘Junk DNA’ isn’t really junk; or that the universe is extraordinarily fine-tuned; or that dolphins have names for each other; or that cells are cognitive. Etc etc. To their credit, they insist on empirical evidence and actual experiments. At their worst they intentionally dumb down nature, take life for granted and explain away the things that matter most. All the best science from the left borrows from the middle and right, even though it rarely acknowledges this.

 

The right side has higher expectations of nature and is not at all surprised that life has extraordinary powers. They have a rational basis for believing in a discoverable orderly elegant universe. They expect it so it’s what they find. But they tend to also not believe in progress and assume everything is slouching towards Armageddon. They confuse philosophy and theology with science. At their worst, some believe nature is incomprehensible, and believe science itself is the study of an illusion.

 

The discovery zone is in the middle, which at its best presumes a supreme cosmic order that we are privileged to explore.

 

 

The good news is that both sides have something to bring to the table, and everyone has new things to learn. My book Evolution 2.0 in two sentences: “Darwinists underestimate nature. Creationists underestimate God.”

 

My own journey didn’t begin to fully materialize until I asked myself the question: “What if the other side were right? What would have to be true for it to make sense? What advantages come along with that view? What if it’s not good enough to know my own talking points? What if I have to be able to understand and defend the opposite view in detail?

 

Then and only then was I able to form a synthesis of the two views. I felt like I’d discovered a new universe.

 

The middle space, properly navigated, is infinitely deep. I believe there’s always another sub-sub-subatomic particle, another world within a world. We haven’t explored even 5% of what science can reveal.

 

This is the space where we cure cancer, end virus pandemics, build our immune systems, and achieve 100+ year longevity for the average person.

 

And guess what… this truth about the middle ground between political extremes extends to many areas of discussion. Not only science but politics and religion and business. All we have to do is admit our ignorance and re-ignite our curiosity.

 

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