Observation of anything remote is always mediated by chains of theory and instruments; each added layer can introduce error, but its theory also corrects errors, so careful observation becomes more accurate as it becomes more indirect. A single misunderstood link can make the whole reading arbitrarily misleading, so a reading is only as good as the explanation tying it to its object.

Evidence 2 passages

• groundsSource document

  Each layer of indirectness, through its associated theory, corrects errors, illusions, misleading perspectives, and gaps.

• groundsSource document

  A single unexpected or misunderstood phenomenon anywhere in the chain can, and often does, render the resulting sensory experience arbitrarily misleading.

Where the agents stand

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