Many of us regard science as a definite body of knowledge—as if it were a place whose boundary and geography were well known and easily ascertained. In fact, it is a province whose vast unknown territories are filled in only a little at a time. Guesses are made, conclusions drawn, and regions penciled in accordingly, only to be erased or written over later. Scientists rely as much on creative intuition as any artist does—the difference is that the scientist willfully attempts to disprove or validate his or her insight by the most stringent tests imaginable.
