Why is Science important?

In this article Deep Lidder, Director of London Science Tutors, discusses why he believes that the study of Science is important to society.

 

As you may gather from the leading title of this post, I do believe that Science is very important. I am passionate about my subject, and believe deeply that we should actively encourage its study – especially amongst school students.

Science is the study of Nature. Fuelled by our insatiable curiosity, it is the quest for a deeper understanding of the world around us. Why things are. How things are. What things are.

The most important reason that I can think of for the importance of Science is its ability to increase our confidence as human beings and reduce our fear of the unknown. Whereas in the past humans have relied wholly on the fickle nature of fate and chance, Science has allowed us to understand how aspects of Nature work and to use that to our advantage. The advancement of scientific understanding is an incredible human achievement and allow us to live confidently in our environment; that should we fall ill, there are medicines that can help us; that should we enter into danger, we have methods to call for help; that should we build a structure, it will stand.

Obviously Science doesn’t solve all of the problems we have, and it can be used for the bad as well the good; take for example the issues of industrial pollution or chemical warfare. However, I believe that it is through the study and developments of Science that we will make great advancements to solve some of the more pressing problems we are currently facing such as climate change, food security, and energy management.

The scientific method of hypothesis, experimentation and evaluation is a rigorous and successful framework for investigating the world around us. It is the most powerful method we have for investigating and answering the big questions we have about the world. Science is (ideally) open-source – experiments can be verified, replicated; observations repeated and confirmed – increasing our confidence in the validity of our knowledge.

Many believe that funding for pure scientific research, such as at CERN or space exploration, is wasteful when we have pressing human problems on Earth. However, I would argue that any study that furthers the realms of human understanding is a highly worthy endeavour. There is often no clear view of the implications of research. The internet was born out of a network at CERN to share the results of scientific research. Nobody could have foreseen the huge impact of its subsequent development.

Given what I have said above, I believe that high quality Science education is absolutely crucial and anything less is robbing our students of an opportunity they deserve. Good teaching of this discipline inspires and enthuses students. It allows an appreciation for the nature of knowledge and enquiry; about what can be known as well as the power of the human mind to imagine, develop and further human understanding. It is incredibly liberating for us as humans to realise that they are not limited by fate or circumstance; that steps can be taken to steer developments and the course of humanity.

A further point I will add is that the study of Nature is incredibly academically satisfying. Nature is awe-inspiring in its beauty and paradoxical complexity and simplicity. What could be a worthier subject of study?

I am by no means detracting from the study of other disciplines – I am also a great advocate of the Arts in understanding and sharing human experience. However, I feel from my conversations with current students that many are done a great disservice in terms of poor Science teaching.

I believe that many of the problems that we currently face – and we are currently faced with many challenges – will be solved only through the hard work and research of scientists.

And it is for the above reasons that I believe the study of Science is vitally important to society.

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