Written by the Sticky

Kepler thought surely the moon

Must gain some warmth from the Earth.

Mass so large and bright cannot

Help but keep it warm. Also,

He thought the moon’s attraction

Dragged the oceans into tides,

Though Galileo mocked him

For such an occult belief.

That’s the way the culture learns.

Someone’s right about one thing

But wrong about another.

If selection can ratchet,

It sieves. Sometimes, it’s tricky.

There’s a lot of beheading

And torture by defenders

Of the way things ought to be.

Learning moves unevenly,

Favoring the testable

And effective weaponry.

Some debates never settle,

And does it matter, really?

As long as everyone craves

Some kind of a victory,

Culture’s stuck with history.