SCIENCE. IT MATTERS
January 14, 2022
The importance of science cannot be overstated. The warm building I am in, the computer I am typing on, the light in the darkness, the food in the refrigerator, the clothes in the dryer, the car I drove to the doctor’s office, the doctor herself, the TV across the room, the clock on the wall, the stove in the kitchen and almost everything else, is a direct result of science.
Without science we would still have a very hard time living past our 30’s, if that long. Without science we would still be shivering in the dark afraid of almost everything around us. Because the cure for fear is understanding and the path to understanding is science.
Science is not perfection. It never has been. It is the pursuit of knowledge. It is knowing that when knowledge changes so do conclusions. Scientific conclusions, as apposed to emotional conclusions, take the latest available reliable information and form a conclusion, or theory, that fits that information. But science is never satisfied. It always seeks more information and forms new theories and often changes its mind. And herein lies a problem.
One of the biggest reasons people reject science or scientific advice is that what they were ‘told’ is true today, might not be the same as what they were ‘told’ yesterday, and will almost certainly be different than what they will be ‘told’ tomorrow.
That is the message that must be shared. Changing conclusions are the nature of science. It is not a failure of, but rather a strength of, science and scientific thought.
It is certainly true that science cannot be left to explore, and more importantly implement, without oversight. Science can do bad things. If left unchecked, it can justify all sorts of research that causes harm or hurts people or things. The oversight to prevent that is the job of governments and organizations that fund science, alongside all of us.
Science can be dangerous. More dangerous than almost anything except a fear of, or a total disregard of, science. Science should not be followed blindly certainly, but it should always be pursued. Humanities way out from all manner of potential and existing problems is directly through science. The growing problems of climate change, overpopulation, pollution, sickness, and disease, can only be solved through science.
We, as a people, and as a species, need to do a better job of educating ourselves. Schools based on knowledge, and not superstition are our best hope. If you find comfort in it, then let faith guide your personal life, but society should make decisions based on science rather than superstition, or religious faith. Ignorance struggles against education. Thinking is the antidote, and hate struggles against it.
