Scientific Reformation
Over at the lovely Jo’s blog …
There is no willingness to spread the knowledge of the subject and to let the little people in too or even *shock horror* share ideas with non-chemists in a language that they understand.
A qoute I’ve written in the front of my “Practical Organic Chemsitry” not really relevant but thought you may appreciate (from Pyramid Selling, Sunday Times 20/9/98)
Scientific knowledge is based on the scepticism that nothing should be believed unless proved by observation or experiment. However as science becomes so complicated that ordinary people have to take it on trust a ‘post scientific’ scepticism has emerged. Why should science be trusted is it cannot be understood?
I have always found it bad that Scientists, whose primary role is to communicate scientific results and ideas are almost invariably shite at explaining it to the normal person on the street - but perhaps we don’t try hard enough in the first place.
We are the Priests of the high temple and we are the only people to know what lies behind the curtain; sadly the power and kudos that comes with being the keeper of secrets is a very intoxicating thing. To help keep the secrets we shroud it in our own language of symbols, equations and acronyms, talk in dark, quiet, closed churches to other temple priests in a language only the initiated can understand and we rarely welcome outsiders; and when we do we tell as little as possible whilst exhalting the majesty of our faith (the flashes and bangs of the public science lectures, the pretty pictures from Hubble telescope published by NASA) just like any other faith healer or holy Joe of this world.
Science is a very secretive religion and as with all religions it must undergo a reformation every once in a while. We need a scientific John Knox.
Sadly it has led to a complete misunderstanding of what Science really is and most peoples image of a scientist is the Dr Frankenstein of old 40’s horror movies…or as some Einstein like genius more accustomed to some cluttered office with a black board than the real world…hmmm maybe that last one isn’t too far from the truth (?)