This novel is fiction, except for the parts that aren't.
Theories are just fantasies. And they change.
No man is so good as to be free from all evil, nor so bad as to be worth nothing.
Geniuses never pay attention.
Conventional wisdom is invariably out of date. Because in the time it has taken to become conventional - to become what everyone believes - the world has moved on. Conventional wisdom is a remnant of the past.
The notion that the natural world obeys its own rules and doesn't give a damn about your expectations comes as a massive shock. But the natural world is not so malleable. On the contrary, it will demand that you adapt to it - and if you don't, you die.