The Values of Science
Let’s call him “Sprout,” one of my most kinesthetic learners. He loves to dance, listen to music, and do things with his hands. The downside is, he barely makes the effort to read, never writes down the lecture notes, relies on group activities for his output, and just sits quietly and listens to the lecture, or talks in low voices with his friend, waiting for the time (my class) to pass.
He isn’t disruptive, so apart from prodding him every now and again to take out his notebook and write, I let him be, expecting and hoping that the lesson will trickle down to him through his friends during the classroom activities. Some students learn better that way.
At the tail end of one of the lessons, I asked the usual, “Do you have any questions?” to which I expected the perfunctory “No.” But suddenly, out of the big blue sky, Sprout raised his hand, stood up, and asked with the confidence of a person who just found his courage. “Ma’am, if you’re a construction worker, would you still need to study Science?”
???
I was like, huh? But... who the fuck cares, he finally showed some interest, yay! And my tiny little teacher’s heart started to do cartwheels.
After that class, it got me thinking. What IS the value of Science to young people who are off to become artists, dancers, musicians, chefs, social workers or even (gasp) construction workers? Many of them will not become doctors or geophysicists or biochemists. Why study Science at all if you’re already set to conquer the world with your art or your music?
In the picture above one of my co-teachers demonstrate how to teach the parts of a cell.
I think there are at least three important values that Science teaches which may not be so obvious at first glance, and these values are something they can carry into any career path they choose. So I’m going to list them down.
- Science cultivates curiosity and a healthy skepticism.
“This is your Mom/Daughter/Son, my phone broke (ran out of battery, etc.) so I’m texting from our neighbor’s phone. Please send money immediately to this number, (insert plausible emergency here).”
How many people have been duped by someone preying on their emotions? How many times have you shared a Facebook post about HIV blood on all sorts of food items because you think you’re helping? Or about how solar flares would somehow shut down the Earth’s electromagnetic field and make your cell phone suddenly homicidal if you keep it near you at the appointed time.
Even if you don’t know a lot, an inquiring mind would take any statement with a grain of salt and say “Oh really? Let me check.” Curiosity is one of the foundations of science, and it breeds a healthy skepticism. When our fear button is being pressed to panic point, that curiosity for cold hard facts may just save you from being suckered.
I remember one of my college professors saying, “Don’t believe everything I say, you go and check for yourself if what I’m saying is true.”
- Science trains you to follow procedure.
So many people get into trouble by doing shortcuts. While the efficiency is certainly admirable, results are sometimes disastrous and often against the law. From paying someone under the table to get permits, to getting that awesome but copyrighted picture that is just perfect for your latest blog post, doing shortcuts won’t necessarily mean that life after your immediate goal is achieved will be easier. More often than not, there will be repercussions.
Glenn S. Phillips listed the 10 dangers of doing shortcuts in his article here http://www.nerdtoenglish.com/2012/05/10-dangers-of-shortcuts/ and to me the most concerning thing regarding young people and shortcuts is the one he mentions in number 9, how a shortcut mentality can “develop bad habits and undermine our true goals.” Let’s take look at some examples.
Ever heard of that senator who got into trouble for plagiarizing his speech? The speech was written and delivered (objective met) but the additional hassle of the consequences could have been easily avoided if he had developed a habit of checking his sources and citing them properly.
Then let’s look at the (hopefully outmoded) practice of killing a suspected drug offender at the slightest twitch of resistance to being arrested instead of disabling them first. Sure that’s one objective met, taking a user/pusher off the streets, but the true goal is keeping our citizens safe. Are we really safe?
Habits, good or bad, develop early on and doing shortcuts is dangerous for this reason. Now how does this relate to science?
Any scientific experiment follows a strict step by step set of actions. It can be slow and tedious and sometimes uninspiring especially when the results are less than desirable. But it teaches us not to fall for shortcuts, to strictly follow the rules so that we can achieve our TRUE objectives no matter how exhausting it can get.
- Science teaches humility and patience
At higher levels, researches take time and time requires patience. My undergrad thesis literally required me to watch seedlings grow. Seriously. In addition, every scientist knows the limitations of their research tools and the magnitude of things they still do not know. This is clearly stated in their paper as well as recommendations for further research.
But in addition to recognizing the vast areas of knowledge we are still quite ignorant about, it is particularly humbling to see great inventions used as weapons for mass destruction. Richard Feynman, one of the many developers of the nuclear bomb once quoted a Buddhist monk saying “To every man is given the key to the gates of heaven. The same key opens the gates of hell. And so it is with science.”
Without humility, humanity would be a mass of power tripping individuals and it could get dangerous. It is similarly humbling to realize the power we wield at our fingertips, facilitated by scientific discoveries. The power to inspire, amuse, defend or attack is just waiting for the press of a button through social media.
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Off the top of my head, these are just the top 3 values that Science teaches our kids that they will carry forward into whatever profession they would ultimately pursue: A healthy curiosity and skepticism will help to keep them safe from possible cons; following the correct procedures will reinforce their training to follow the law and steer clear of shortcuts; and having humility and patience will be additional tools to strengthen their perseverance in whatever field they choose to go into.
Now back to Sprout. His classmates gave him a censuring look for giving an off-topic question, and then looked at me expectantly, a little apprehensive I think on how I would handle it.
“Of course you would need to study Science. Mostly Physics and Chemistry because those fields deal with the properties and structure of materials. How would you set up your scaffolding so you can save on materials and yet get to the top of the building safely? How much metal would you need to reinforce a building that would reach 4 stories, how would you know if your foreman is fooling you and making things unsafe for you and your fellow construction workers? Why are there different paints for different surfaces and why isn’t it advisable to use them interchangeably?”
I felt the class heave a silent sigh of relief, their shoulders sagging from releasing a tense breath when I didn’t get mad or anything. Why should I, that was one of the best questions I’ve ever been asked.
But Sprout wasn’t done.
“What about English, Ma’am? Would you still need to study English if you’re a construction worker?”
“Yes, Sprout. It’s already a global economy. Where will you be doing construction? Dubai? Taiwan?” Many developed countries import construction workers because most of their citizens are overqualified for construction work.
Sprout sat down mumbling about how every subject they have now apparently has some use for life after high school. “Lahat pala ng pinag-aaralan dito, ginagamit...”
So I turned to the class and left them with a question to think about: If you like to build things, why become a construction worker when you can become an engineer?
A few weeks before graduation Sprout asked to be tutored. I sincerely hope that his interest to learn continues to grow.