Sometimes, It Is Rocket Science
An Open Letter to Dunning-Kruger (and the Champions of "Good Enough")
Every generation, humanity invents better tools.
Some are forged in the fire of necessity: the lever, the plow, the wheel. Others - calculus, the semicolon, the torque wrench - are born from our relentless pursuit of precision. Across millennia, we've stockpiled knowledge not for the fun of it, but to solve problems we couldn't brute-force with common sense or bare hands.
So why do we, time and again, reach for the rock instead of the wrench?
The Togetherness of Ignorance
There's a strange camaraderie in shirking complexity. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" - even when it's very clearly broken, or barely hanging on. We shrug off expert tools as "elitist," treat nuance as unnecessary, and let the loudest voices drown out the most qualified ones.
Finger painting is fun, but there's a reason watercolours exist. Sometimes, what's available - what our ancestors or scientists or engineers have left us - is the shortcut. But using it takes humility: an admission that we don't know everything, and a willingness to trust those who've spent a lifetime thinking about the details.
The Cult of "Common Sense"
We're told "common sense always wins." But common sense gave us leaded gasoline, asbestos insulation, and a thousand other mistakes that, in hindsight, make you wonder how we survived at all. The "everyman solution" often isn't a solution - it's a workaround that creates bigger problems for someone else to clean up.
Sometimes, it is rocket science. Sometimes, no amount of vibe-checking or "seat of your pants" engineering can replace the cold, unyielding accuracy of mathematics or expertise. Sometimes, your torque wrench is the difference between a reliable engine and a $4000 repair bill.
Why We Need Experts
Here's the thing: not everyone is, or should be, an expert in everything.
It's okay to not know. What's not okay is pretending you do, or dismissing the value of those who've made it their life's work to know more than you or I ever could.
When we undervalue expertise - when we treat academia, research, or specialized tools as needlessly complex or "elitist" - we cheat ourselves out of a better, safer, more interesting world. It's not about bowing to authority; it's about recognizing that humanity's best leaps forward were made by standing on the shoulders of those who climbed before us.
The Case for Using the Right Tool
A calculator is faster than counting on your fingers.
A torque wrench is more reliable than "the feel."
A well-placed em dash clarifies your meaning in a way three commas never will.
Sometimes, using the right tool (or the right knowledge) isn't just more efficient - it's safer, smarter, and better for everyone. Sometimes, trusting the collective wisdom of humanity - built, tested, and revised by those who cared enough to do it right - is the best "common sense" of all.
Humility is a Superpower
So here's to the mathematicians, the engineers, the grammarians, and the quietly competent. Here's to asking questions, to seeking help, to using what works even if it's a little complicated. Here's to humility, and to the simple, revolutionary act of saying: "I don't know, but I can learn from someone who does."
Sometimes, it's not rocket science.
But sometimes, it absolutely is.
And that's why we built the rocket.