Pessimism sounds wise. Optimism sounds silly. So it’s no surprise that pessimistic messages make headlines and optimistic messages rarely appear in middle-page snippets. That is why doomsday thinkers are so respected and admired.They are the smartest ones who can see what The rest of us cannot. They are the ones who speak truth to power.

One of the reasons my admitting to being an optimist feels like I’m revealing a dark secret is because it seems to defy years of scientific training. Pessimism is often considered an essential trait of scientists. The foundation of science is to challenge all results and break apart theories to see which ones stand the test of time. Cynicism, I thought, was one of its founding principles.

Maybe it’s partly true. But science is also undeniably optimistic. How else can you explain your willingness to try an experiment over and over with a slim chance of success?

Scientific progress can be painfully slow. People of the highest intelligence can devote their lives to her one question and prove nothing to it. They do so in the hope that they may be on the cusp of a breakthrough. It’s unlikely they’ll discover it, but it’s possible. If they give up, their odds are zero.

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