Science Matters

[SoCalDem]

I saw a snippet of a story on PBS the other day, and Suzuki said that they had "invited" a bunch of politicians to a symposium, and asked them to "suggest" scientific things that were important politically. The questionnaire that followed was actually a "test" to see what these predominantly lawyer/businessperson legislators actually KNEW about science... The result was fairly predictable.. They "knew" about science at a junior high school level;, yet they were responsible for FUNDING and creating legislation that has jursidiction over scientific projects..

He went on to state that MOST of the things we live with today , came as a result of science.. The computer technology, flight, automobiles,medicine,environmental "management", space exploration, weather prediction..etc.. these are ALL science..

His fear is that the very people who are in charge of the management and development of the most important/dangerous scientific part of our world, are woefully inept..and we will all pay dearly for the mistakes they make, whether deliberate or accidental..


Here's an old article where he sort of addressed the issue..

Science Matters by David Suzuki
http://www.davidsuzuki.org/about_us/Dr_David_Suzuki/Article_Archives/weekly06270301.asp
Science Matters is published weekly in newspapers across Canada. To post your comments about a topic, please visit our discussion forum.
Science needs a makeover

Jun 27, 2003

Science has an image problem. Not that science isn't important to people today. Indeed, science and technology influence our lives now more than ever before. The problem is in the way scientific issues are often portrayed and communicated - both to the public and to other scientists. A common complaint from scientists is that the media get everything wrong. They sensationalize. They oversimplify. They draw unwarranted conclusions. It's not surprising that with such an attitude scientists are often skeptical and reluctant to talk to the media. Many scientists want more control over their stories. A recent European survey found that 90 per cent of scientists polled believe reporters ought to provide full scientific details in their stories, and allow scientists to make changes before they are published.

snip....

Reporters, on the other hand, complain that science stories are often dull, irrelevant or impossible to comprehend. In an analysis published in the journal Nature, sociologist Donald Hayes used a formula called the LEX scale to rate readability of journals. On this scale, the lower the number, the easier something is to read and the more understandable it is. Dr. Hayes found that children's books have a LEX score of about -32 (easy to read). Newspapers, on average, have a LEX score of zero. Back in the 1940s, science journals also scored about zero. Today, these journals reach LEX scores well into the +30s and beyond, meaning they are very difficult to understand.

snip.....

Look at the portrayal of many important environmental issues in the news. Anyone who regularly reads science journals knows that the vast majority of evidence indicates human activities are steadily eroding many of the planet's life-support systems. We are changing the climate, causing species extinction and spreading pollution across the globe. Yet the mainstream media largely only report on the fantastic changes, the doomsday scenarios. A gradual erosion fades into the background and, as a result, public concern only becomes aroused when problems reach critical levels - when it may already be to late to do anything.No single group is at fault for this growing problem. Most scientists simply don't receive training in good communication. Plus, newspaper chains are firing reporters en masse, compressing beats and not giving reporters the time and resources they need to adequately cover science issues.

snip.....

I think there is a true thirst for good, clear science stories. As children, most of us had an innate sense of curiosity that made us question everything about our world. Why is the sky blue? Why do birds do that? Why can't people fly? But many of us lose that curiosity as adults - as though the world is just too complicated to be bothered asking about it. Yet, explain a science story in a simple way to adults, and they too will often become fascinated and share in the wonder of the world around us.

snip......

[ulysses]

1. people fear and avoid

what they don't understand. We need more understanding.

[aeolian]

2. "woefully inept" is an incredible understatement

These guys have absolutely no clue what they're talking about.