Comments on: What Is Scientific Literacy? http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/intersection/2009/03/17/what-is-scientific-literacy/ Where science collides with life, slams into culture, crashes with politics, and gets totaled. Tue, 27 Sep 2011 17:28:30 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Ashutosh http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/intersection/2009/03/17/what-is-scientific-literacy/#comment-14450 Ashutosh Wed, 18 Mar 2009 20:31:40 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/intersection/2009/03/17/what-is-scientific-literacy/#comment-14450 You may find the following post about science blogging interesting. You may find the following post about science blogging interesting.

]]> By: Ashutosh http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/intersection/2009/03/17/what-is-scientific-literacy/#comment-14449 Ashutosh Wed, 18 Mar 2009 01:42:14 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/intersection/2009/03/17/what-is-scientific-literacy/#comment-14449 Should be ignorant OR dumb (there is also of course nothing wrong in being dumb as long as we try to make efforts to remedy it) Should be ignorant OR dumb (there is also of course nothing wrong in being dumb as long as we try to make efforts to remedy it)

]]> By: Ashutosh http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/intersection/2009/03/17/what-is-scientific-literacy/#comment-14453 Ashutosh Wed, 18 Mar 2009 01:38:38 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/intersection/2009/03/17/what-is-scientific-literacy/#comment-14453 According to the above definition, many many citizens are scientifically illiterate. Carl Sagan warned about this all his life. Are we now blunt and determined and passionate enough to carry the flame? Are we willing to call people who don't believe in evolution as either ignorant and dumb? There is of course nothing wrong in being ignorant; we all are to varying extents and as long as we are ready to remedy that ignorance, it's ok. One thing that's not talked about a lot on this blog is the elephant in the room- religion. Almost nothing else challenges and does harm to scientific literacy as much as religion does, because it teaches people to be satisfied with not knowing. Scientific literacy is all about attitude. Jawaharlal Nehru coined a word for it- scientific "temper"- which describes it as well as any other phrase. According to the above definition, many many citizens are scientifically illiterate. Carl Sagan warned about this all his life. Are we now blunt and determined and passionate enough to carry the flame? Are we willing to call people who don’t believe in evolution as either ignorant and dumb? There is of course nothing wrong in being ignorant; we all are to varying extents and as long as we are ready to remedy that ignorance, it’s ok.

One thing that’s not talked about a lot on this blog is the elephant in the room- religion. Almost nothing else challenges and does harm to scientific literacy as much as religion does, because it teaches people to be satisfied with not knowing.

Scientific literacy is all about attitude. Jawaharlal Nehru coined a word for it- scientific “temper”- which describes it as well as any other phrase.

]]> By: kelebek http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/intersection/2009/03/17/what-is-scientific-literacy/#comment-14452 kelebek Tue, 17 Mar 2009 17:18:14 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/intersection/2009/03/17/what-is-scientific-literacy/#comment-14452 ab ab

]]> By: Philip H http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/intersection/2009/03/17/what-is-scientific-literacy/#comment-14451 Philip H Tue, 17 Mar 2009 17:06:39 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/intersection/2009/03/17/what-is-scientific-literacy/#comment-14451 From a techncial writing standpoint it's well written, but entirely too long for normal, everyday use. There's no 30 second elevator speech in there (or it's really well hidden). And that's the problem. Much of what the National Academies produce is really good scholarship, but really bad outreach. I know it is not their function, but if you want to convince people they need to become scientifically literate, you have to say it in a way they can understand. From a techncial writing standpoint it’s well written, but entirely too long for normal, everyday use. There’s no 30 second elevator speech in there (or it’s really well hidden). And that’s the problem. Much of what the National Academies produce is really good scholarship, but really bad outreach. I know it is not their function, but if you want to convince people they need to become scientifically literate, you have to say it in a way they can understand.

]]> By: Robert Grumbine http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/intersection/2009/03/17/what-is-scientific-literacy/#comment-14446 Robert Grumbine Tue, 17 Mar 2009 14:52:38 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/intersection/2009/03/17/what-is-scientific-literacy/#comment-14446 The quote given has too much focus on capability, and too little on performance. If I transfer that approach to physical fitness, the entire country is physically fit. Everyone has the capacity to walk, run, play volleyball, etc.. But in practice, few people actually do so and over all we're in terrible (physical) shape. So one family of questions I'd pursue would be related to performance. ex: How many science articles have you read in the last week (newspaper/blog/magazine/technical journal/...)? How many science books have you read in the last month? What (how many, what were they) science ideas have you followed up in the last month? When is the last time you had a question about science? ... and so on. Actually, I'd be a bad person to ask most of my own questions as written. Most of my answers would be 'bunches', which is kind of hard for the pollster to quantify. A different side is, library book shelves in the science section would have little dust, and the books would be checked out regularly. Library computer terminals would have a lot of visiation to science sites on the web. The quote given has too much focus on capability, and too little on performance. If I transfer that approach to physical fitness, the entire country is physically fit. Everyone has the capacity to walk, run, play volleyball, etc.. But in practice, few people actually do so and over all we’re in terrible (physical) shape.

So one family of questions I’d pursue would be related to performance. ex:
How many science articles have you read in the last week (newspaper/blog/magazine/technical journal/…)?
How many science books have you read in the last month?
What (how many, what were they) science ideas have you followed up in the last month?
When is the last time you had a question about science?

… and so on. Actually, I’d be a bad person to ask most of my own questions as written. Most of my answers would be ‘bunches’, which is kind of hard for the pollster to quantify.

A different side is, library book shelves in the science section would have little dust, and the books would be checked out regularly. Library computer terminals would have a lot of visiation to science sites on the web.

]]> By: Lilian Nattel http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/intersection/2009/03/17/what-is-scientific-literacy/#comment-14445 Lilian Nattel Tue, 17 Mar 2009 14:47:54 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/intersection/2009/03/17/what-is-scientific-literacy/#comment-14445 I think it's an admirable definition. But you don't need to test it. By that definition casual observation would give a resounding answer: most people aren't scientifically literate. I'm not even sure that I am and I am probably more than most non-scientists because I think science is cool and I am pretty non-scientifically literate. I think it's a good definition to work toward, to apply as a policy for education, rather than as a testing measure. I think it’s an admirable definition. But you don’t need to test it. By that definition casual observation would give a resounding answer: most people aren’t scientifically literate. I’m not even sure that I am and I am probably more than most non-scientists because I think science is cool and I am pretty non-scientifically literate. I think it’s a good definition to work toward, to apply as a policy for education, rather than as a testing measure.

]]> By: G.E. Wilker http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/intersection/2009/03/17/what-is-scientific-literacy/#comment-14448 G.E. Wilker Tue, 17 Mar 2009 13:22:38 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/intersection/2009/03/17/what-is-scientific-literacy/#comment-14448 If we're looking for something you can do on a street corner, how about a short-essay-form test? Rather than quizzing on facts, ask a question like, "If I wanted to determine the mass of the Empire State Building, how would I do it?" or "What would happen if all wetlands in the state were paved over?" Of course, this requires the questioner be scientifically literate enough to evaluate the answers sensibly. If we’re looking for something you can do on a street corner, how about a short-essay-form test? Rather than quizzing on facts, ask a question like, “If I wanted to determine the mass of the Empire State Building, how would I do it?” or “What would happen if all wetlands in the state were paved over?”

Of course, this requires the questioner be scientifically literate enough to evaluate the answers sensibly.

]]> By: Cole http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/intersection/2009/03/17/what-is-scientific-literacy/#comment-14447 Cole Tue, 17 Mar 2009 12:03:41 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/intersection/2009/03/17/what-is-scientific-literacy/#comment-14447 It's a start. I prorose there's more depending on context. It’s a start. I prorose there’s more depending on context.

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