One thing that being a scientist has taught me is that you can

The words of James Lovelock — “One thing that being a scientist has taught me is that you can never be certain about anything. You never know the truth. You can only approach it and hope to get a bit nearer to it each time. You iterate towards the truth. You don't know it.” — are a hymn to humility, sung from the high altar of knowledge itself. In these words, Lovelock speaks not only as a scientist, but as a philosopher of the eternal unknown. He reveals the sacred paradox that lies at the heart of all discovery: that the closer one draws to truth, the more infinite it becomes. The wise do not claim to possess knowledge; they only walk toward it, step by step, with reverence and wonder.

Lovelock, father of the Gaia hypothesis, was no stranger to the mysteries of existence. He saw the Earth not as an inert rock but as a living organism, self-regulating, breathing, evolving — a cosmic being of which humanity is but a part. Through his work, he learned that certainty is an illusion of the proud, while truth is a horizon that retreats as one approaches. His insight is born of a life spent studying nature, where every answer unfolds into deeper questions. In saying “You iterate towards the truth,” Lovelock captures the essence of scientific and spiritual wisdom alike: that learning is not a destination, but an endless pilgrimage.

The ancients knew this well. Socrates, the father of Western philosophy, declared that the only thing he knew was that he knew nothing. This was not despair, but liberation. For when a man believes he has reached the summit of knowledge, he ceases to climb; but when he admits his ignorance, he begins the ascent anew each day. Lovelock’s words are the modern echo of this same wisdom — that truth is not a possession, but a pursuit, and the mark of the wise is not certainty, but curiosity.

Consider the tale of Galileo Galilei, who peered through his telescope and saw moons orbiting Jupiter, contradicting the established order of the heavens. The world called him heretic, for he dared to approach truth in a way that threatened comfort. Yet even Galileo, who saw further than most, did not claim final knowledge. He knew that his discoveries were but a glimpse of something greater. His courage reminds us that truth is not a monument, but a path through mystery, walked by those humble enough to be corrected by the universe.

Lovelock’s statement carries within it a quiet warning. When humanity believes it has found the ultimate answer — whether in science, in religion, or in ideology — it strays from wisdom into arrogance. The death of progress begins when people say, “We know enough.” Nature itself teaches the opposite: the river never stops flowing, the stars never cease moving, the Earth never stops changing. So too must our minds remain in motion — seeking, revising, expanding — lest they stagnate in the still waters of false certainty.

And yet, there is beauty in this unending quest. To “iterate towards the truth” is to participate in the divine act of creation — to join the cosmos in its unfolding. Each experiment, each question, each act of contemplation becomes a candle lit against the vast darkness. The scientist, the artist, the philosopher — all are pilgrims upon the same road, guided not by possession of truth, but by love of truth. As Lovelock reminds us, we may never arrive, but in striving we find meaning. The journey itself becomes sacred.

So let the teaching of Lovelock be your compass: embrace uncertainty. Do not fear the limits of your understanding; they are the very soil from which wisdom grows. Doubt not as a weakness, but as a discipline — a cleansing fire that burns away illusion. Approach life as the scientist approaches nature: with patience, humility, and wonder. Test, question, and refine your understanding, knowing that each correction brings you a step closer to truth’s ever-receding horizon.

For in the end, it is not knowing that makes us wise — it is seeking. The one who claims to know has closed the door; the one who questions keeps it open. Walk through that door each day. Seek the truth, though it may never be caught. For it is in the reaching — in the noble and eternal iteration toward truth — that humanity fulfills its highest calling: to be humble before the infinite, and yet never stop reaching for the stars.