Why is Testing so Popular?

The trends in software promise more quality with less testing. Interestingly, if you Google 'test' you'll get 2.7 billion hits. On the Internet, testing is almost as popular as 'sex' with 3.1 billion hits. Why is testing so popular, when we are reducing testing in projects? Let's dive into this popularity-paradox by considering: The values of testing; Reality, hallucinations and imaginations; Agile's passions for the tacit and intuitive; Human emotions and psychological research; Immanuel Kant, the stoic philosophers and the testers' mind; A rational, social view on software testing.