Communication

I dive into the 1956 sci-fi piece, "Communication," by Charles Fontanay. The story recounts an initial encounter with Martians, who arrive near the G-boat. The central question raised by the Earthmen is whether fundamental scientific concepts, such as geometry or specific planetary knowledge, are universal truths or if they are merely products of our species' own background.

After the story, we move from the sci-fi setting to examining the concept itself. I look at Stanford graduate student Elizabeth Newton's 1990 experiment, showing how our assumption of shared knowledge creates communication gaps. This helps me navigate the realization that we often forget what it's like for someone else not to know what we know.