Conspiracies are a perennial favorite for television producers because there is always a receptive audience.

Myths, whether in written or visual form, serve a vital role of asking unanswerable questions and providing unquestionable answers. Most of us, most of the time, have a low tolerance for ambiguity and uncertainty. We want to reduce the cognitive dissonance of not knowing by filling the gaps with answers. Traditionally, religious myths have served that role, but today — the age of science — science fiction is our mythology.

To be a fully functioning moral agent, one cannot passively accept moral principles handed down by fiat. Moral principles require moral reasoning.

In science, if an idea is not falsifiable, it is not that it is wrong, it is that we cannot determine if it is wrong, and thus it is not even wrong.

Remember always that we are pattern-seeking primates who are especially adept at finding patterns with emotional meaning.

But the power of science lies in open publication, which, with the rise of the Internet, is no longer constrained by the price of paper.

Myths are stories that express meaning, morality or motivation. Whether they are true or not is irrelevant.