Indistinguishable from magic

[alitalf]

I am becoming increasingly concerned about how little most people understand of the science and technology that makes our relatively comfortable lives possible. I can't quite say why it is a bad thing for many people to go through life being - well - almost superstitious about technology ("It has a mind of its own").

However, when it comes to government, I do think this is a recipe for waste at best, disaster at worst. For example, people for whom a steam turbine is beyond their comprehension, electricity might as well be magic, and nuclear physics is completely unknown, make decisions about our future energy supply. Perhaps, if the voting population understood a little more, politicians would be put on notice to, at the minimum, find a wider range of science advisers and at least try to understand them. It is even remotely possible that qualifications in science would be taken almost a seriously as qualifications in the classics, by the great and the good.

What I have read about the school curriculum does not suggest to me that a widespread improved understanding of science is likely in the near future, but I hope that is a misunderstanding on my part.

What do other people think?

Comments

[sigisgrim.livejournal.com]

The fundamental problem is, I think, most people are fundamentally stupid when it comes to such things, or they are completely uninterested.

Luckily for us the majority of our friends have sufficient comprehension of a good proportion of these things.

I'm not suggesting that everyone should know their way around all forms of electricity generating equipment and which bits of the brain do what or understand the finer details of how our universe is made up, but I do think that people need to be prepared to find out stuff. Just enough stuff to be able to have an informed opinion on important matters.

The hype and scaremongering that is generated by a number of tabloid (and non-tabloid for that matter) newspapers doesn't do any good either. I'm actually quite surprized that there hasn't been more crap flying around about this Suffolk Bird 'Flu' incident. (Pun only slightly intended.)

[alitalf.livejournal.com]

I often find it difficult to make any progress on a new subject without someone to help me for the first step or two. I remember being confused about html, long ago, for example, and you and one other person taught me enough to understand the books.

My feeling is that it would be much better if schools could give everyone capable of it a clear view of the first couple of steps of basic science, so that anyone who wants to learn the following step - even if only to understand whether to vote for or against something, has a fair chance.

To achieve this in state schools would, I think, require a change of attitude on the part of those who mostly influence public opinion. I suspect that the educated ones are probably almost all arts or classics people at present.

[romancinger.livejournal.com]

What I have read about the school curriculum does not suggest to me that a widespread improved understanding of science is likely in the near future, but I hope that is a misunderstanding on my part.

No, unfortunately I don't think it is.

[rustica.livejournal.com]

Ah, but critical thinking is dangerous....!

Seriously, it becomes very hard to learn things other than one's own area. For example, I can sometimes keep up with you when you talk about, say, magnetism, and even if I can't, it's fun to stretch. But when you talk about practical applications of electricity, I get lost very early on. But how do I learn more? The general books are usually too simple, and the advanced books assume too much pre-existing knowledge.

Arts subjects are easy to get at least a vague understanding of. Science subjects aren't.

[alitalf.livejournal.com]

I'll teach you some or all of my limited store of knowledge about electricity if you wish it.

But you are right, finding out about many technical things is tricky until you have at least a rudimentary understanding.

[rustica.livejournal.com]

I'll teach you some or all of my limited store of knowledge about electricity if you wish it.

Oooohh! Yes please! :)

[alitalf.livejournal.com]

When we next meet, or by email, or both?

How far along that line do you want to go, and what do you know so far, or feel like learning about? Ohms Law (you obviously already know) Skin effect? Complex Impedance? Phase angles? Power factor? Losses in magnetic materials? Kirchoff's law? Thevinin's theorem? Star/delta transformation? Semiconductors (but I don't remember the maths relating to bandgaps)?

[amalion.livejournal.com]

One of the problems is that all the fun has been taken out of science by the national curriculum and the league tables. When I first started working in a secondary school I was somewhat bemused at the level science was taught at for GCSE. I didn't do physics at school, but over the years of listening to the odd lesson I have picked up enough to probably get a grade C in GCSE. Science as a subject has not only been dumbed down but has also fallen foul of the need to continually show inmprovement in results year on year. This has lead to the subject being taught to pass the exam only and not to give a knowledge of science. Children are turned off by school science as they find it boring. They want to do interesting experiments, but with all the emphasis on trying to get pupils through the exams there isn't time to teach the subjects in an interesting manner. A lot of the interesting bits have been removed anyway as they were too hard! Of course the problem is compounded by the fact that teachers have to try to teach everyone science and not just the ones who are really interested as it was when I went to school. Those who aren't interested just make things difficult for those who are with the result that the experiments get ignored for fear of someone getting hurt. I joke not.

[rustica.livejournal.com]

This is very true. It's not *solely* that science (Chemistry and Physics) is about making things go BANG! in new and exciting ways, but that's definitely part of it :D. Burns and/or losing part of your eyebrows are just an occupational hazard. And the problems with the decline of the maths syllabus also impact on science.