Now that's just precious! You sure didn't think twice about trying to paint me as an Objectivist or a follower of Ayn Rand (when in reality we would disagree on crucial things, such as self interest being the path to one's happiness. I believe in doing good for the society, not just yourself).
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Is -6 colder than -8?
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Now that's just precious! You sure didn't think twice about trying to paint me as an Objectivist or a follower of Ayn Rand (when in reality we would disagree on crucial things, such as self interest being the path to one's happiness. I believe in doing good for the society, not just yourself).
Well it is true that, after you rejected my idea that it would be a good idea for people to work hard to excel at something they like and thus contribute to society in a meaningful way as somehow spelling the doomsday of all science, I kinda gave up on you as a reasonable arguing partner, which resulted in my last (and admittedly useless...apologies to everyone who wasted their time reading this little exchange of ours) post. If you feel like posting something sane on the rather interesting subject of what level of scientific awareness in the general public is reasonable--which would also conveniently bring us back to the OP--I'm all ears.
Consider this...
How many people know enough basic biology to understand how diseases spread, or that different diseases spread differently?
How many people understand what electricity is, and why hanging on a power line won't kill you but making contact with the ground will? (it's not always about death either, but how many people know why things need to be grounded? why fuses get blown? why appliances without international power supplies will blow up?)
And speaking of appliances, how many people understand basic battery chemistry, and that lithium ion batteries can catch fire if punctured, while most types of batteries are susceptible to temperature changes?
How many people know the basic properties of water? Such as the fact that it takes up more volume when it freezes, ripping apart bottles left in freezers and cracking water pipes? Or that steam carries far more energy then boiling water, and will give you a much nastier burn?
Along the same lines of temperature and substances... how many people are aware that wires on telephone poles are suspended loosely because they shrink considerably in winter?
How many people don't understand such basic things as the physics of motion, and that a slow moving rock hitting a car moving at high speed is exactly equivalent to a slow moving car and a fast moving rock?
How many people don't understand phenomena like resonance? (and that you can potentially destroy a bridge by marching over it?)
And we won't even get into geology and meteorology...
Seriously there are so many basic concepts that the average person doesn't know that have some bearing on their life. Granted, most just result in minor annoyances, but some can kill you, or save your life.
Understanding science will also help you understand the technology that pervades our lives.
Suggestion: when criticizing someone's grammar, avoid run-on sentences. Otherwise, annoying and petty people may post ironic comments such as this one.
mannn... 0 degrees celcius is the melting point of water(ice), not the freezing point,
by the way, I am just kidding around
by the way, I am just kidding around
That's not so bad. At least he knew enough geography to realize that England is on an island
It's a legit question if you don't know about the tunnel.Of course, the fact that he's been on it before but still doesn't know about it is rather amazing, I'll admit.
One of the great ironies of modernity is that, while we have more and more access to technologies that allegedly simplify our lives and render them more efficient, the average person understands less and less of how they actually work. While this seems dangerous to me on a global scale (i.e. in terms of an increasingly small oligarchy of technocrats being in control of an increasingly large portion of essential technology), at the individual level I think it is unclear how much actual knowledge is really necessary to make society function. I agree with you that the consequences of complete and practical ignorance of most of the things you list can be serious...but do you think that it's really necessary for someone to know specifically why, to use one of your examples, one should not puncture a lithium ion battery? On a practical level, isn't it good enough--and easier to communicate to the broadest number of people--to make sure people know enough to follow the directions that say "do not puncture," or better yet recognize the message of a small drawing to eliminate language barriers in our increasingly globalized world? From a public safety standpoint, is not a little practical awareness often just as effective as substantive scientific knowledge?
I think the spread of disease stands out as the best example of what you are saying; the number of people that suffer and die annually from a simple lack of biological awarenes--be it of AIDS transmission, antibiotic abuse or how the flu is spread, just to name a few--is simply unacceptable, and the only way to fight it is through education. However, I'm not convinced that the world is a better place if people know why they should turn off their outdoor faucets in the winter...as long as they know they need to do it or bad things will happen.
BTW thanks for the info on shrinking telephone lines...never thought of that, but it makes sense.