I recall, a few years back, being at a tense meeting between loster fisherman and a lobster biologist who just delivered a top-down presentation on lobsters (with complex charts and graphs) to a gathering of seasoned lobstermen.

An wise older lobsterman stood up and asked the biologist, "how many hairs are there on the front swimeret of a three pound female lobster"?

The puzzled biologist replied, "I don't know"?

The wise old-salt smiled widely and said "Just as I thought. He then added, I don't know either - and that's a real good start. Instead of you coming here and talking down to us lobstermen, who have a lot of experience to share on our experience with lobster on the water, we can now start from a point where we all can admit that there are things we all don't know. I expect from there we can make real progress", he concluded.

Sometimes it is helpful to productive discourse for all to admit there are things they don't know.