Lesson #3095 - Use Of Science

Hey, did you see that we're repealing various environmental standards? You can say there are too many regulations but it's not like you can improve the air you breathe by sticking your head in the ground.

One of the most important aspects about this debate on science is that scientists and science supporters need to remember that science has certainly hurt a lot of people, too. Science and engineering and technology have improved medicine and electronics and materials and vehicles and buildings and so many other things, but it's also allowed for automation, and various tools of war, rapid changes in culture and the economy, and people have been legitimately hurt by these things. It is something I think about as I teach students so that they can become chemical engineers, several if not many of whom will go out into the petroleum industry. If you want to advocate for science, you can not just denounce people as idiots for being ignorant, but you have to show them the benefits of supporting science as well as the detriments to ignoring science. You have to be approachable, which is a far overblown criticism of most scientists - most scientists CAN talk to people about their work and explain it, they just DON'T. Anyway, I'm trying to think of ways to help bridge this gap and improve a connection to others.