Bad astronomer: Why Science is Important

Phil Plait, the bad astronomer himself, answers the question "why is science important?" One of many answers to this question from high profile scientists, writers and teachers at www.whyscience.co.uk

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• bad
• astronomer
• phil
• plait
• astronomy

[granddad2002]

Science for understanding Nature is a reliable methodology. People tend to take for granted how 'advances' bring change into our lives! The polio vaccine changed the demographics of public health on Earth in the 20th Century. Nuclear weapons changed how Nations behave towards other countries. Satellites and telecommunications make it possible for billions of humans to instantly know what is happening on our planet and beyond! Without Science, we'd be no better off than beasts.

[Newtoon]

@zeplinair : by the way, that's not true that nothing changed in poor countries (do not quote 3rd world since it includes India, see def on Wikipedia...) because of tech/med, even if it is far better from rich countries. The biggest change EVERYWHERE is that deaths of babies and youngs are going down, thanks to Science/tech : there is a causal link. U can check statistics.

[Newtoon]

@zeplinair : That's an argument I know already and it almost convinced me of a flaw in my reasoning for a while. Yet, if it's true that the population growth is abated when standard of living rise. Yet, it cannot be the case for everybody (for evolutionary reason which put emphasis on dominance and hierarchy) and when it does anyway, as where you and I live, it is worst because one person in his (long in average) life will take far more ressources than a whole family of, let's say,10 poor people

[zeplinair]

@crazyspacechick Please, not too hard with the head on the desk! We need to keep the brains healthy of those who can use them intelligently.

[zeplinair]

@Newtoon (cont. last reply). Actually if we want to slow the rise...Where the standard of living rise, and women are educated and empowered members of society calling the shots in their own reproduction (especially when they can take for granted as we do in the developed world with ready access to medicine and tech, that the children they do have will be around to have children of their own....the birth rate drops. At that point having extra children then is generally more cost than asset.

[zeplinair]

@Newtoon Folk confuse the population with the rise of tech/med because they are happening concurrently.-but in developing and third world with the greatest pop. growth, few have regular access and as the only self insurance available, many more children are born as many die. Regardless of disease and calamity, population has been rising since we left Africa and the greater the population, the more dramatic the subsequent rise. This natural geometric rise is cause of the "explosion".

[crazyspacechick]

I always get really annoyed when someone asks either of these two questions...

Why is science important?

Why is space travel important?

*head desk*

[RobertSHilton]

Liquid Crystal Diode Display

[Newtoon]

@zeplinair I do not know what you mean by "adulthood" exactly but globally accepted statistics show clearly they reach age of reproduction...

[zeplinair]

@caste2510

Scientists refusing to open their minds is misunderstood. Unlike belief, if evidence does not support, you must drop the hypothesis, no matter how attractive (in social power structures, can take awhile ie. behaviorism vs serious study of animal cognition). When an idea contradicts observable nature +/or yields no testable predictions, science must drop it. Open mind vital, even to the strange, but not so much that one's brains fall out. Your use of energy to feeling is incorrect.