LIB 200 Critical Thinking Blog 2: "To Science, or Not to Science?"

“Humanity almost seems extraneous; some special-effects planetarium shows introduce

us to the most exotic aspects of matter and time, but are not very revealing about the

ordinary human experience of the heavens. Of course, the insignificance of human

existence is one of the fearsome lessons of modern science. But when we are young,

we learn differently. We begin by learning to value our own understanding and only

gradually come to recognize its limits.”- Edward Rothstein

                After reading this quote, I would have to say that I completely agree with Rothstein. As a child, I loved watching the “Frankenstein” remakes. Why? Because it was interesting! It captured my attention and enlightened my imagination. Although based on scientific possibilities, I was still intrigued because of the way entertainment introduced science to me. However, once reaching junior high school, I became aware of the fact that I will never be intrigued by science unless shown to me in some form of entertainment.

                To be frank, the “realistic” way that science is explained to students and as adults is quite boring. I find it terrible that when science is presented, the human significance is barely mentioned, thus, lacking inspiration to even pursue the area. It is no wonder that most children are interested in the sciences through television shows and video games. From the $700 million dollar earning in the United States from the movie, Avatar, I believe it is argumentative that adults feel the same way.

                Having a younger sibling, nieces, nephews, and a two year old daughter, I am often forced to watch children’s shows such as Dino Dan.  A series about a boy with a love for dinosaurs, Dan often comes in contact with dinosaurs during his paleontology experiments, although he has few witnesses. My younger generation of family, and myself, enjoy the show and its incorporation of science. However, when confronted about their view on science in school, my nieces, nephews, and younger brother all agree that “it sucks.”

                The issue is not that science itself is a hassle to deal with and a suicide mission to learn. The issue is the way it is presented. You cannot expect one to be enthused with science when you strip people of human significance in the sciences. While we all know that there is a “larger than life” universe out there, that goes far beyond our five senses, it will be much better if science teaches to inspire the human creativity and incorporate it to pursue scientific discoveries and explorations. After all, it took creativity and imagination to encourage scientists to explore the once hidden jewels of the world and universe we inhabit.