Where the Church told people WHAT to think, Science should have told them HOW to think.
This is the part where education failed. It was none less than Albert Einstein who repeatedly stressed the value of awakening the imagination and sparking the interest of children in the workings of the Universe.
Instead, schools and universities clutter the minds of students with redundant factual knowledge that teaches nothing about the epistemological process by which it was acquired or the paradigm that the science being taught is currently following.
The result is that universities produce scientists with minds bogged by endless details but with very little love or understanding for the essence and the ways of science and the acquisition of knowledge itself.
The situation reminds me of the scene in the Musée des Arts et Métiers in Paris, when Casaubon stands enraptured before Foucault's Pendulum, transfixed by the philosophical implications that, at least for a certain frame of reference, the point of suspension of the Pendulum is the only stable point in the Universe and the Pendulum helps to visualise that. At that moment, a young couple walks by. The girl does not understand what this is all about and the young man, though he knows the details about the motion of the pendulum, he FAILS to convey the beauty, the importance and the implication of what they watch because he has been "educated by some textbook that had blinded him to the possibility of amazement". (From Umberto Eco's Il Pendolo di Foucault, ed. Tascabili Bompiani, trnsl. by me).
(Foucault's Pendulum now resides in the Pantheon)
This failure of the educational system to convey proper scientific thought to the younger scientists lies at the base of the whole inability of Science to convince the public once and for all to abandon heresy, superstition, mysticism and all those manifestations of "occult" thought. They are no longer necessary. There is more than enough to wonder and be amazed at within the nucleus of an atom...
However, it is also a sad truth that scientists even fail to convince each other. Interdisciplinary quarrels are commonplace and each field distrusts all others.
I have the feeling that this distrust is directed more towards the life sciences than any other field. What are our failings? To be explored in the very near future...
3 comments:
Κον Επισκοπον,ενταυθα.
Σεβασμιοτατε.
Δε θ αρχισω την αναλυση μου διερωτομενος πως ο εκπροσωπος μιας θρησκειας που πρεσβευει και επαγγελεται την αγαπη ειναι και ειδημων στα αρματα μαχης.Φυσικα καθε παρατηρηση ειναι καλοδεχουμενη,ομως,νιωθω υποχρεωμενος να συμπληρωσω τα εξης.1)Αυτο ειναι απλα ενα αμεσο μετρο για αμεριμνη κυκλοφορια.Για περιοχες οπως του Ψυρρη,λοιπον,θεωρω οτι το αρμα μαχης δεν ενδεικνυται μονο του.Μην ξεχναμε τι επιδραση εχει στην προελαση η συσσωρευση εμποδιων(μοντελο Σταλινγκραντ).Τα αρματα που χρσιμοποιησα ως παραδειγματα,ειναι απλως κλασικα και δοκιμασμενα.Για τα στενοτερα λοιπον,υπαρχει η λυση ταχυτητας και ευελιξιας,πχ με ενα Τ-70,η ενα ΡΚfW II.Ομως επειδη εγω προλαβα απο κοντα την εποχη''size matters'' στις ΗΠΑ,θα τολμουσα να προτεινω ως,παραδοξα αντιθετη,την κινηση στο Κολωνακι κλπ,με καταστροφεα αρματων SU-152.Νταξει,οχι το πιο χρηστικο,αλλα μπορει να γκρεμισει οποιοδηποτε εμποδιο και να περασει πανω απ τα συντριμμια.
Ευλογησον,Δ.
Ανέκαθεν πίστευα πως μια επιλαρχία τεθωρακισμένων είναι πολύ καλύτερο μέσο διάδοσης του λόγου του Θεού απο την Αγία Ιλδεγάρδη, τη Μητέρα Τερέζα και τον Αγιο Θωμα τον Ακινάτη μαζί.
Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition δεν έλεγαν άλλωστε;
Και ας μην ξεχνάμε πόσο πολύ μπορείς να "αγαπήσεις" τον πλησίον σου (απο πίσω κι απο μπρός, μέχρι που να τον κάνεις Ashley Blue) με ένα IS-3...
Although modern societies are mainly consisted of educated people who hold at least a university degree,we witness daily a decline in the so called western civilisation which is reflected in the behaviour,the beliefs and the lifestyle of people.As you mentioned, the problem lies in the low quality of education and its failure to convey scientific thinking.
Both school and university are oriented towards τhe memorisation of knowledge and pupils and students feel content to be graded an 'A' by their teacher for their achievement to learn by heart a whole chapter of a textbook...
I wonder where can this insanity end;since the knowledge in a scientific field unavoidably expands at a great pace, the purpose of the education system in future will be the integration of all current knowledge in a university curriculum? I hope not, but university teachers are here to drown any hope for improvement.It is a fact that universities have ceased to be temples of knowledge and scientific thinking and have been transformed into training centres of professionals.(Needless to mention that greek universities fail in both promoting scientific thinking and training professionals...)Therefore, little attention is paid to explaining basic scientific principles in depth and students are just limited to the presentation of some modern applications of scientific knowledge eg. a machine, a medicine etc.
I am of the opinion that this shallow knowledge is insufficient to acquaint people with the scientific way of thinking in their lives and impedes the evolution of a professional as well because it makes them incapable of integrating new ideas of their field.
Finally, it is apparrent that the last nail in the coffin of Science is put by the scientists themselves. The uncreative debates,the adoption of ''occult'' ideas, the tampering with scientific results and the depreciation of scientific beliefs in favour of money produce an absolutely negative effect on the integration of scientific thought in society. Hence,let's turn to fortunetellers, tarot readers or scientologists to advise us what to do in our life...
PS1. This comment on the post ''discussions on science'' follows 2 comments concerning tanks (a discussion started on asmodaeus.blogspot.com). Although I am not an expert in tanks, I can consider them as technological advances based on scientific breakthroughs. Moreover tanks are connected somehow with the modern history of greek universities (remember the seventies). Taking these into account, tanks could be very helpful not only in providing a solution to the problem with traffic in Athens but also to the ongoing problem with the greek universities...
PS2. Any similarity with persons, facts and places is plainly coincidental. No offence.
My respects to The Only Bishop.
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