Laws as human heuristics

Scientific laws may not be metaphysical commands that nature 'obeys' but compact human summaries — heuristics — for recurring patterns. Treating laws as descriptive tools rather than prescriptive edicts changes how we discuss certainty, prediction, and the limits of science in public debates. — Framing laws as heuristics reframes science communication and weakens absolutist metaphors that policymakers, media, and religious commentators use to justify decisions or moral claims.