Healthy and Unhealthy Skepticism: Lessons from a Duck-Billed Platypus

No question about it, the duck-billed platypus is one strange creature. About the size of a pet cat, this weird furry mammal lays eggs like a reptile, has a snout like a duck’s bill, a flat tail like a beaver, webbed feet like a goose, and walks with legs out to the sides like a lizard. In addition, the male platypus has a venomous spike on its ankles which enables is to kill in self-defense.

No European had ever seen such a critter until 1797 when British explorers made their first sighting on the banks of a lake near the Hawkesbury River in New South Wales, Australia. The first record of the duck-billed platypus can be found in Lieutenant-Colonel David Collins’ “Account of the English Colony in New South Wales” in which he catalogues a whole host of strange creatures unique to the land Down Under. In great detail he described this most unusual new specimen.

The response in England was less than enthusiastic, though they can’t be faulted entirely. This was a creature too bizarre to be believed. The scientists back home decided it had to be a hoax. 

For much of my life I have been somewhat harsh in my judgment of these scientists. Their bumbling doubts and unbelief seem somewhat comical from our modern vantage point. But put yourself in their shoes. Not all of the treasures British sailors brought home from overseas were authentic. Chinese opportunists, for example, took mummified monkeys, cut their bodies in half at the waist and sewed them to the back ends of fish, selling them to these sailors as “mermaids.” They were very clever. (Nowadays we do it using our AI, and many folks are still fooled.)

So those scientists can’t be blamed for being somewhat skeptical. Ultimately, the whole thing is a matter of trust. I have no record here of what their thinking was. They may have believed the explorers were playing them for dupes. Hence, they distrusted this strange evidence of a creature unlike all others. Or, it may be they felt the explorers were good men who had themselves been duped.

Frankly, a healthy skepticism is not necessarily a bad thing. But at some point, keeping a closed mind to new ideas has its own risks and consequences. One of these risks is that we never learn anything new, or fail to believe something that’s true. Here are three key lessons or takeaways from this story:

Healthy Skepticism Must Be Balanced with Openness to New Possibilities

The British scientists’ initial disbelief in the platypus stemmed from a reasonable skepticism, given past hoaxes like the “mermaids” crafted by sewing monkey and fish parts together. However, their reluctance to accept the platypus as real highlights the risk of excessive skepticism, which can stifle discovery. This lesson teaches us that while critical thinking is essential to avoid being deceived, an overly rigid mindset can prevent us from embracing novel truths. Progress requires a willingness to consider evidence that challenges our preconceptions, even when it seems improbable.

Trust Plays a Crucial Role in Accepting New Ideas

The scientists’ skepticism may have arisen from distrust—either in the explorers’ credibility or in the possibility that the explorers themselves were deceived. This underscores the importance of trust in the process of knowledge-sharing. For new discoveries to be accepted, there must be a foundation of trust in the sources of information, whether they are explorers, scientists, or other witnesses. This lesson reminds us to evaluate the reliability of sources while remaining open to the possibility that trustworthy accounts can reveal extraordinary truths. 

While this anecdote has to with scientific discoveries, the lesson here about trust applies to media as well. Hence the saying, "Believe half of what you see and none of what you hear." The expression is extreme but the notion behind it makes sense. Finding reliable, trustworthy sources may take time, but the work is worth it. 

I myself try to make a habit to put new ideas on the shelf for continued reflection and consideration. This is a way to keep us from automatically discarding new ideas before having fully examined them. This goes for swallowing every new thing as well. "You know that what you eat you are," the Beatles sang. 

Embracing the Unknown Can Lead to Profound Learning

The platypus, with its bizarre combination of features, defied all known categories of animals at the time, challenging the scientific understanding of the natural world. The scientists’ initial rejection of it illustrates the danger of clinging to familiar frameworks at the expense of new knowledge. By eventually accepting the platypus, scientists expanded their understanding of the natural world. Embracing the unknown, even when it seems strange or improbable, can lead to significant breakthroughs and a deeper appreciation of the complexity of the world.