Research to "finds out" vs. research to "prove"

With respect to OSMP research (and most other public policy research) there is a great deal of interest in research which "proves" that what people want to believe is actually true. There is much less interest in real research -- the kind that "find outs" whether one might, in fact, be wrong. If you are serious about protecting the environment and human quality of life then we must resist the tendency to focus only on reaserch which "proves" and embrace reaserch which "finds out." We must also resist the common belief that, since there are always irreducible uncertainties it must be true that I was right all along.