Hierarchy of Facts
Henri Poincaré, the renowned mathematician, observed that not all facts are created equal. The most valuable ones, he noted, are those that reappear frequently—the simple facts that serve as building blocks across multiple scenarios. Scientists instinctively seek these patterns in the extremes: biologists found more similarities between cells of different organisms than between the organisms themselves. But Poincaré recognized a fascinating rhythm to scientific discovery: ==first we establish rules by studying similarities, then we advance knowledge by investigating exceptions.== "We first seek the cases in which this rule has the greatest chance of failing," he wrote. The method of science isn't just collecting facts—it's strategically choosing which facts deserve our attention, starting with patterns and graduating to the exceptions that challenge them.