Also, one of the philosophical tenets of science is that there are no sacred cows. There are no questions that should not be asked, or hypotheses that should not be considered. From the time of Galileo science has given the religious aristocracy the middle finger time after time. IMHO, science should have an air of being crass, anti-establshment, and daring. This shouldn't be taken too far, don't get me wrong. However, science doesn't work if it is kowtowing to unsupported religious beliefs. Learning science should be a slap in the face. It should open your eyes and tell you that whatever you believe is wrong, and this is why.
What we think we know with the most confidence should be what we test most rigorously. It's not just a matter of being able to ask any questions - it's about
needing to ask those questions that are uncomfortable, that challenge our current beliefs, more than any other questions. The most important discoveries of science are not those that confirm what we previously believed, but those that cause a paradigm shift in our understanding of the world.
Whenever we say "we know this with certainty" and stop testing it (as in a sacred cow or other form of cherished belief), we are setting up an authority we cannot challenge, a standard beyond which we cannot improve. When we say "this belief is absolutely true," then however accurate that belief is, that's the limit of our accuracy from that point on.
We must be not only willing but
driven to challenge our own beliefs, to seek out real reasons to change our minds, especially when doing so is uncomfortable, because those beliefs are our intellectual weak spots, the places where we most need to be tested to become stronger.
After all, the only thing we can lose by challenging our own knowledge is a
false belief; accurate beliefs are strong enough to survive any challenge of evidence.
I think
false beliefs are sacrifices any rational person is willing to make, even if giving up "nice" beliefs can sometimes be hard. When I stopped believing in Santa Claus, I was a little sad, but my internal map of reality became a little more accurate, and I became a little stronger intellectually with the sacrifice of that false belief.
"Home school" is typically used (at least in the states) as a method of
avoiding knowledge and evidence that could challenge a specific belief. It's a place where parents can ensure that their children are exposed to nothing more than an echo chamber of their own approved set of knowledge.
Only
weak and false beliefs need such protection. To hell with them.
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