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MonApr 14

Dreams of Reason Feast Day – April 14, 2025

Dreams of Reason Feast Day is celebrated annually on April 14. It is a day set aside to commemorate scientific theories that have been discarded and science fiction futures that have not come to fruition yet. There have been several theories that have been discarded and others have been debunked yet quite a number of them paved the way for the exploration of current theories. The future of science fiction, while largely read, has not always been one that has come to pass. So, we look to Dreams of Reason Feast Day where we explore the science fiction futures and discarded scientific theories.

History of Dreams of Reason Feast Day

The origins of Dreams of Reason Feast Day are largely unknown and no one is entirely sure who started it or why. A scientific theory is a well-substantiated description of some part of the natural world that is founded on a collection of facts that have been repeatedly proven by observation and experiment in the laboratory. As opposed to “guesses,” fact-supported theories are credible explanations of the reality that we are living in today.

The scientific method is a way of developing scientific theories that are based on evidence. As a result of observation and investigation, a hypothesis is developed and tested. It will be examined and verified over and over again if the theory hasn’t been disproved. With the discovery of new evidence, scientific theories might be amended or even rejected entirely.
For example, one of the earliest theories, which served as the foundation for Charles Darwin’s evolutionary theory selection, is a case in point: Darwin’s well-known attention to methodological problems not only framed but also seeped into his theory of natural selection. With great attention, Darwin studied modern methods to gain insight into a contentious tool in the scientific milieu in which he grew up: the hypothesis. Darwin transformed nature itself into a scientist as a result of his reading of the writings of John Herschel and William Whewell. Scientific practice, with its theories and testing, found an analogy in the variability and selection of the natural world. Even though it was accidental, Darwin’s naturalization of a methodological vocabulary paved the door for evolutionary theory to be applied to the study of the human mind and then, finally, to the philosophy of science, completing the circle.

Dreams of Reason Feast Day timeline

1871
The Beginning of Life

According to Charles Darwin, life may have begun with a “warm little pond” if the appropriate combination of light, heat, and chemicals had been present.

1920s
Primordial Soup

Two scientists, Alexander Oparin and John Haldane, separately propose that life originated in a primordial “soup” of organic molecules.

1953
The Basic Blocks of Life

When electricity is used to zap essential chemicals in water, Stanley Miller and Harold Urey demonstrate that the basic blocks of life can develop.

1986
R.N.A.

RNA molecules mixing, separating, and evolving, according to Walter Gilbert’s theory, is the beginning of life.

2006
Fossils

Stromatolite fossils are discovered in rocks in Australia that were 3.4 billion years old, making them the world’s earliest verified proof of early life.

Dreams of Reason Feast Day FAQs

Is science fiction vital?

Science fiction is vital in literature because it creates parallel realms that mirror our own. Science fiction helps us to live in the now.

What is a proven theory called?

Scientists define a scientific theory as a well-supported explanation of some part of the natural environment, founded on repeated observation and experimentation. These hypotheses are not “guesses” but credible descriptions of reality.

What are hypotheses and how do they differ from theories?

A hypothesis is an assumption, an idea that is given for the sake of argument and then examined to see if it is true while theories are hypotheses that have been proven to be true.

Dreams of Reason Feast Day Activities

  1. Search for discarded theories

    A good way to celebrate will be to search for discarded theories. You can also look for reasons why the theories were discarded and if they paved the way for current theories.

  2. Watch a sci-fi movie

    Science fiction movies are great at depicting what they believe the future will look like. You can find several possibilities for the use of science and technology in the future as imagined in the movies.

  3. Read a sci-fi novel

    Science fiction novels use imagination to see what kind of future there will be and what that world will look like. Science fiction novels allow us to expand our horizons and look at what can happen in the nearest possible future.

5 Discarded Theories

  1. Phrenology

    Phrenology was the study of the shape of the skull as an indicator of different faculties’ strengths but according to modern scientific studies, personality traits cannot be connected to specific brain regions.

  2. Spontaneous or equivocal generation

    The principle of spontaneous generation or equivocal generation is outmoded, Aristotle proposed the concept, citing preceding natural philosophers’ work but Louis Pasteur's experiments, influenced by Francesco Redi, an early proponent of germ theory and cell theory, proved it erroneous in the 19th century.

  3. Homeopathy

    Homeopathy is a discarded medical theory that states that sickness can be treated by administering extremely small doses of the chemical that caused it, known as homeopathic remedies.

  4. The expanding Earth theory

    According to the expanding earth or growing earth theory, the position and relative movement of continents is based on the volume of the earth rising but this theory has been disproved as modern science has ruled out any possibility of the earth expanding or contracting.

  5. Luminiferous aether

    The aether (or ether) was a mysterious element considered to carry light throughout the universe but experiments on light diffraction and refraction, and subsequently Einstein’s special theory of relativity, disproved the luminiferous aether theory.

Why We Love Dreams of Reason Feast Day

  1. Making scientific advancements

    Dreams of Reason Feast Day shows us that humankind is advancing. The search for knowledge by scientists leads to the discarding of old theories and that leads to new theories, sometimes expanding on old ones.

  2. Possibilities

    The future represents endless possibilities that we have not yet seen but with technological advancements, we can be hopeful. We are aware of the possibilities and work toward them with the technological advancements in place.

  3. Future research

    As a result, it is common for scientists to reject theories as a sign of progress. Changing research interests are prompting scientists to reevaluate their priorities.

Dreams of Reason Feast Day dates

Year Date Day
2025 April 14 Monday
2026 April 14 Tuesday
2027 April 14 Wednesday
2028 April 14 Friday
2029 April 14 Saturday