Tom Walker considers a world of scientific mass ignorance…

‘…so few people have even the most rudimentary knowledge of what science has to offer…”

The current world we happen to inhabit is also one of breathtaking scientific richness. We can manipulate DNA to create specific forms of life, map the movement of atoms in inconceivably intricate biological systems, unlock deep secrets of the universe and learn the exact physical forces which allowed a few carbon atoms to come together for a brief period of cosmic time to produce us. This is not even scratching the surface of scientific achievement.

It is also, unfortunately, a perceptible fact that so few people have even the most rudimentary knowledge, let alone appreciation, of what science has to offer. I feel I should share this concern with you because we live in a democracy. Hence the opinions of every one of us really do matter and if we are to unlock our unimaginable potential people need to welcome and understand what science has to offer. It is also an inconvenient truth that seemingly all forms of entertainment support the contrary. ‘Respect’ and TV air time are given to people who support unproven drivel. Seven-year-old children are encouraged to look up to people who have achieved absolutely nothing reputable except the glorification of ignorance and superficiality. All throughout the development of the brain, nowhere is science encouraged. Even at school, Biology classes are tedious hours spent learning the difference between vertebrates and invertebrates. Nobody can pretend this is sparking the imagination of youngsters in the way it really should. Up until GCSE, at which point millions drop the subject, science is taught as a complete bore. It is given up well before we learn to appreciate the subject for what it is and what it holds.

“Science is the only way that we have made advancements in the quest for truth, or ever will.”

I may make it sound as if science is a boring chore to be endured for the greater good. Quite the reverse: it is more spectacular than anything that could be conceived of by humanity. It really makes me want to know more and more, and upset that I will never be able to see the pinnacle of our knowledge. There is not a single person who can look at images of the Hubble telescope, or the intricate microscopic make up of cells, or the astonishing development of life over billions of years and then turn around to be startled at a burning bush, or any rudimentary ‘miracles’ that religions have to offer. The reality that 44% of the American public (Gallup Poll, 2008) are Creationists is a pitying and wretched testament to the success of the education system. Changes need to be made in science communication so that voters actually do appreciate and give it the remarkable respect it deserves. For science is the only way that we have made advancements in the quest for truth, or ever will. We live in an everything-is-equally-valid period of time when countless forms of nonsense stands in its way. Remove these blockages and it is marvellous to even ponder what could be achieved.

“The medium of television really could be a spectacular way of educating people…”

So, where do the setbacks exist? Initially, the problems subsist within schools. A juvenile mind has to be inspired in order have a desire to learn and this is where we tragically fail. Discovering the remarkable nature of the universe and of life is something skipped over, for want of dogmatically drawing labelled diagrams of cells. Subsequently, the scientific method itself needs to be taught before children develop into teenagers. The concept of testing a hypothesis by attempting tirelessly to disprove it is so gracious yet horrifically undervalued. Most people, I feel, warmly receive the fruits of science whilst remaining indifferent, or even opposed, to the beautifully persistent process of discovery. I am not ignorant enough, however, to assume that the majority of people in this country will have access such an education. Here, the entertainment industry needs to step in, fails, and so is substantially to blame. We are told endlessly how much television youths of today watch, as if it is an inherently detrimental reality. The medium of television really could be a spectacular way of educating people, as it reaches virtually everybody. However, children’s shows consist of vulgar cartoons with no value whatsoever, and it is for this reason we feel watching television is something we should all feel guilty about. Aside from perhaps the David Attenborough programmes, there is no British show which promotes science as it should. I truly am convinced that, once or twice a week, a programme like Carl Sagan’s ‘Cosmos’ series should be broadcast on, say, CBBC for all to see. A show which glories in the reality we are so privileged to exist in. Youngsters really do not need to be patronised. They are certainly ready for something like this, and, desperately, so is society.

Tom Walker