Words matter. Small words seem to matter more. One word seems to matter most: hope. The will to live is inextricably intertwined with the power to hope (Camu aside). But the power to hope is sometimes dependent on another word. This word is more subtle, more nuanced, less used, and less valued.
This is the word, “seems”.
With only five letters, it draws an essential distinction between that which is and that which may be, while at the same time layering a force to the possible. It is stronger than a guess, yet weaker than a claim, and with this distinction becomes indispensable to the scientific method. The “seeming” OF is an inference TO, and thus forms a bridge to the working hypothesis.
