Science a vital tool for the young generation

It is paradoxical that, while we teach more science and use more advanced technology than ever before, we regularly see and hear educated people make shockingly ignorant pronouncements about the planet, the sun, the cosmos, human bodies and brains, and a lot more.

Somehow we are not imparting essential scientific knowledge or understanding of how the world works to every youngster who spends 10 years at school. While we have made huge progress on literacy (reading and writing), we seem to have made much less progress on numeracy and scientific literacy.

Science literacy is the general understanding of scientific ideas — facts, methods and theories. It allows a reasonably educated person to digest the scientific information that is received from various sources. It allows people to follow discussions on science-related topics (say, stem cell research) and come to informed conclusions.

A culture of science is a deeper adoption of the ideas and ideals of science by society more generally. It represents a conscious and unconscious realization that science is not just the engine of progress, it is a rigorous and robust method for solving problems and should be very widely adopted. Albert Einstein, in his address to the World Fair in 1939, had stressed this principle: “If science, like art, is to perform its mission totally and fully, its achievements must enter not only superficially, but with their inner meaning, into the consciousness of people.”

In 1946, India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, stressed the importance of developing “science mindedness” in the whole population — that is the extent to which ordinary people use methods of science to solve life’s problems. This was later (in 1976) inscribed into the Indian Constitution.

This higher societal state is supposed to be produced through the general education that we impart to youngsters. It represents, first and foremost, a “vaccination” against ignorance, irrationality and social ills (rumors, panics, frauds, etc.). Indeed, a scientifically cultured population is less likely to fall victim to fraudulent claims and schemes, from astrology to sham cures.

Moreover, our leaders must increasingly deal with dangers that threaten the entire world, where understanding and solving those dangers depends on a good grasp of science. As the great scientist and science fiction writer Isaac Asimov once wrote: “The ozone layer, the greenhouse effect, acid rain, questions of diet and heredity, all require scientific literacy.” Today, he would have added climate change, genetic engineering, artificial engineering, and more.

My university, as all liberal education institutions do, requires students from all fields (including humanities, social sciences and languages) to complete at least two full courses in basic sciences. In doing so, it wants students to: Acquire a greater understanding of the role of science in society and in everyday life; distinguish between scientific theories, laws, hypotheses, observations, models, facts, concepts, and terminology; be able to explain natural phenomena using scientific reasoning, at least qualitatively; be able to analyze scientific information beyond mere “facts;” and to identify issues where the scientific information needs to be combined with ethical, judicial and sociocultural considerations.

Contrary to the West, in the Arab world there has not been, to my knowledge, any rigorous surveys or studies into the state of scientific literacy or the culture of science. Anecdotal evidence, however, seems to paint a worrisome picture. Indeed, it is not acceptable to see educated people still debating whether the Earth revolves around the sun or vice versa, or whether the Earth is flat. It is true that this problem is not limited to Arabs or Muslims, that science illiteracy is still a major issue around the world, but there have been significant improvements elsewhere thanks to efforts made by societies for the advancement of science, by educators, media specialists and policymakers. Our part of the world needs similar initiatives.

Almost all innovations and changes in our lifestyles today are brought about by scientific and technological developments. Discoveries are happening every day and at an accelerated pace. Simply understanding what is happening and what it means to us requires at least basic scientific knowledge.

Many policy issues that are debated in society require citizens to be scientifically informed. Particularly within the Muslim culture, a number of issues raise religious or ethical concerns, and one must first understand those topics correctly before trying to figure out appropriate positions to adopt.

Today’s youth are tomorrow’s leaders, opinion-makers, entrepreneurs, scholars, and entertainers. They need to be fully informed and capable of understanding all the important developments of today and tomorrow; and many of those developments have science at their core. Our education system needs to internalize these principles and objectives and make sure it prepares today’s students for tomorrow’s world.

We need to morph our educational curricula to adapt to these fast-changing times and the new knowledge that is constantly being produced. We need essential science as well as new learning tools to be taught to future Arab and Muslim opinion leaders and decision-makers.

• Nidhal Guessoum is a professor at the American University of Sharjah, UAE.

Twitter: @NidhalGuessoum