During our science classes, we had a guest speaker, Phil Esslinger, join us for a discussion on science and its role in society. The presentation started with an inquiry. Phil is a geologist and was fascinated by a natural phenomenon he observed in the Kootenays. Phil then showed the class several photos of small black rocks exposed after a recent snowfall. Then, as a class, we were to posit ideas on how this happened. There were several interesting explanations students came up with, such as heat escaping from the Earth, the rock’s composition being partly salt, and animals licking the rocks. Phil then gave us the answer: the rocks were ever so slightly radioactive, and this reaction generated enough heat to melt the snow. Radioactivity was something that no one in the class had considered, as we were all using our current framework of understanding and geology to produce our answers. In short, we are not experts. Although our ideas were based on sound reasoning, that alone did not make them correct. Phil then continued his presentation, discussing how civilisations throughout time have crafted myths to explain natural phenomena. from Zeus, being the god of lightning, to Namaca, the giant catfish who creates the earthquakes below Japan.
Explaining the World Through Rational Thought
Phil’s presentation was insightful, but I wanted to zoom in on two points he made. First, his philosophy “science and society is an attempt to understand and explain the world through rational thought”, we took part in this while analysing the phenomenon occurring with the rocks, as the Greeks did in analysing the Natural world around them. When considering rational thought, one must also take into account one’s own working knowledge of the world. This is what allowed us to arrive at more rational explanations of how the rocks were heating up, rather than the Greeks’ more mythological interpretations of the events around them. Both explanations of why the events were happening were incorrect; however, they were both rooted in the current understanding of the world.
Science and Misinformation
Next, Phil began to discuss the current social climate and the distrust that is eroding the relationship between science and society. Divisive politics and the need for newsworthy “science facts” have led to the common quote “scientists are saying…” or “some scientists are challenging climate change”, to which we all should be asking, ” What scientists? Social scientists? ecologists? engineers?” A Google search shows that there are over 1000 specialised subfields of science. For this reason, the publication of peer-reviewed work is so important. So that scientists have the opportunity to present their arguments and findings to other experts in their fields and generate discussion and inquiry that leads to the betterment of society at large, furthermore, it is important that students can read and comprehend this work and data so that when those clip-friendly new bytes pop up, they are tantalised by mininformation.
Reflection
Phil’s presentation was incredibly informative and addressed several broader issues that plague the scientific community. From keyboard warriors who read headlines and cry outrage, to the distrust of the scientific community at large, and finally, the importance of literacy so that students are not misinterpreting cherry-picked data. This experience was important for me to reflect on because it speaks to the importance of reading comprehension and media literacy for students. This subject is incredibly relevant to science, as the world needs citizens who not only seek to understand the world through rational thought but also recognise where their knowledge gaps lie.