In science, all facts, no matter how trivial or banal, enjoy

“In science, all facts, no matter how trivial or banal, enjoy democratic equality.” So spoke Mary McCarthy, with a wisdom that cuts to the heart of inquiry itself. For what is science but the great gathering of truths, each given equal voice regardless of grandeur or seeming smallness? In the marketplace of knowledge, the humble fact stands beside the mighty, and both are weighed with the same reverence. Unlike the courts of kings, where noble birth grants privilege, here in the temple of reason, a grain of sand may reveal as much wonder as the stars in the heavens.

The ancients told us that “from the smallest seed springs the mightiest tree.” Likewise, in the realm of truth, what appears banal may in time prove monumental. Consider the tale of Gregor Mendel, the quiet monk who studied peas in his cloister garden. His observations—so plain, so trivial to those around him—were at first ignored by the grand halls of science. Yet these modest notes on flower color and seed shape became the foundation of genetics, the key to unlocking the book of life itself. From such a lowly corner, an empire of knowledge arose.

It is this that McCarthy declares: in the house of science, the mighty cannot trample the small, for facts do not bow to power. A fact may be whispered by a child or proclaimed by a sage, but its weight remains unchanged. A droplet of water holds within it the same laws as the ocean; a falling apple carries the same truth as the planets in their orbits. Newton, gazing at such an apple, saw not just fruit descending, but the pull of gravity binding the universe together. What men might dismiss as ordinary, the patient mind may recognize as eternal.

This democratic equality of facts is a lesson in humility. For it reminds us that truth is not fashioned by desire, nor decreed by authority. One cannot dismiss a fact because it is inconvenient, nor elevate another because it flatters ambition. In the same way, the ancient philosophers declared that “nature does not lie.” She whispers to those who listen with care, offering her treasures without discrimination. The wise, therefore, bend low and gather them all, never despising the lowly or worshiping only the grand.

History offers us warning as well. When societies scorn certain truths as too small or too trivial, they blind themselves to their own salvation. For many years, the handwashing practices of Ignaz Semmelweis were mocked as insignificant by the medical establishment. Yet his “banal” insistence that doctors cleanse their hands between patients saved countless mothers from death in childbirth. The tragedy was not that the fact was hidden, but that pride refused to honor its equality. Only when humility prevailed did medicine advance.

Let us then carry this teaching into our own lives. Do not overlook the quiet truths that surround you: the subtle habits of a friend, the soft lessons of nature, the simple data of experience. Just as the scientist must collect all observations faithfully, so too must we value the smallest signals in our daily walk. For in the unnoticed detail may lie the key to healing, to understanding, to the unfolding of destiny.

The lesson is clear: to live wisely is to grant equal respect to all truths. Greatness is not built from arrogance, but from patient attention to even the smallest signs. Practically, this means cultivating curiosity, recording what you learn without prejudice, and listening deeply to voices that others may ignore. For in honoring the “trivial,” you may stumble upon a treasure that others have passed by.

Therefore, let us remember McCarthy’s words not as mere reflection but as a call to vigilance. The universe scatters its truths like seeds across our path. Some will shine like jewels, others lie plain and unadorned. But all are sacred. Gather them with reverence, guard them with care, and weave them into wisdom. For the one who honors the smallest fact walks in step with the very order of creation.