From: NPR
Do We Need Scientific Idioms For Everyday Experience?
October 26, 2016
NPR:
With the advent of Fall, my 2-year-old has been eager to comment on the fading light as we drive home on weeknights.
“It getting dark?” she asks.
And I answer: “Yes, the sun is going down.” Only it isn’t. Not really. The earth is rotating on its axis, our perch on its surface moving away from the sun.
Talk of the sun going down may be harmless: an intuitive way to describe an experience in a pretty complex world. Yet research suggests that it will be years before my toddler approaches an accurate understanding of the day/night cycle. And research also suggests that the way we talk about our experiences matters.
Read the whole story: NPR
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