# Preconceptions Can Blind Reporters to Reality by Steven Levy > “Preconceptions can blind you to the full, rich human reality that awaits you when you actually listen to your subjects and approach the material with an open mind.” > **— Steven Levy**, *2004 Edge Annual Question, response passage* ## Sources and Context - **Direct publication and locator:** [Levy's Law — Steven Levy](https://www.edge.org/response-detail/10363) — 2004 Annual Question response, contiguous sentence(s) within the representative extract. - **Exact original excerpt:** “In journalism, this means that the best practitioners should not have the stories written out in their heads before they report them. Preconceptions can blind you to the full, rich human reality that awaits you when you actually listen to your subjects and approach the material with an open mind. It wouldn't surprise me if the same tabula rasa principle applies when scientists try to answer the big questions.” - **Context and editing:** The selected complete sentence concerns listening to journalistic subjects. Levy’s preceding sentence names journalism, and he then suggests the same open-minded principle may apply to scientists. No editorial words were inserted. - **Local Edge archive:** [[research/Edge 2004 Full Quotation Curation|Edge 2004 Full Quotation Curation]], response EDGE2004-091. ## Related Articles and Collections - **Collection:** [[collections/Edge|Edge]] - **Collection:** [[collections/Consciousness Continuity|Consciousness Continuity]] - **Article:** [[articles/Information Persistence in Complex Systems|Information Persistence in Complex Systems]] - **Article:** [[articles/The Greatest Transformation in Human History|The Greatest Transformation in Human History]] - **Wiki map:** [[wiki/Science Ecosystem|Science Ecosystem]] ## Related Topics - [[wiki/Science Ecosystem|Science Ecosystem]] ## Share on Social Media ``` “Preconceptions can blind you to the full, rich human reality that awaits you when you actually listen to your subjects and approach the material with an open mind.” — Steven Levy, 2004 Edge Annual Question, response passage https://bryantmcgill.com/simple-reminders-steven-levy-preconceptions-blind-reporters-reality ```