Reflections. I. How do ideas change in science?

Looked at over a long historical stretch, science looks like a pretty substantial edifice. Everyone would agree that we know and understand far more about the nature of the natural world in 2025 than we did in 1800 or 1900 or even 1950. Science is an impressive thing. Yet, looked at up close, it becomes clear that the metaphor of the edifice is poor; it…