Physics Nobelist Leon Lederman’s recent column in Science News (5/10/08) eloquently defends the importance of science literacy. In a world that challenges the public’s wisdom in such crucial areas as space colonization, personalized medicine, nanotechnology, global climate change, and many others, “…there must be a major increase in the capability of ordinary people to cope with the scientific and technological culture that is shaping their lives and the lives of their children.”

Francis Fukuyama emphasizes the point, “…modern natural science produces historical change that is both directional and universal…” (The End of History and the Last Man, 1992). There is simply no escaping it’s advance.

Last time around in the 1960s, the Apollo Moon program stimulated a generation of American students to study math and science and join in the cosmic fun of exploration and new knowledge. As we approach the 2015 Maslow Window, it’s likely that the most daunting challenge faced by any educator — student motivation — will be solved ebulliently as before.

Indeed, Dr. Lederman’s concerns are reminiscent of the Sputnik era: “Can we modify our educational system so that all high school graduates emerge with a science way of thinking?” This will require a new way of thinking by teachers, an activist role by scientists, and some recognition of the spectacular potential for human expansion that lies ahead.

Trackback URI | Comments RSS