There was a time when there was a rift between the sciences and the humanities. In his seminal book “The Two Cultures” published in the 1950s CP Snow spoke of it eloquently and caused a bit of a storm with FR Leavis (on the right in the “arts is best” corner.)
Today we are in a world where science is sexy and the darling of the media. Look at Marcus du Sautoy and Brian Cox. Media stars both, enthusiasts and great storytellers. And it’s showing up in research.
I’ve referred before in my blogs to the IPSOS MORI study, the “Veracity Index” every year which checks how much people trust various groups in society. In 2011 for instance Doctors scored 88% and Politicians scored 14% - and someone said to me “as much as 14% - that’s amazing”.
What’s key is scientists overtook clergymen and priests for the first time and will, probably, by now have overtaken judges and professors in terms of trustworthiness.
So science is sexy and trustworthy but it’s also engaged. On Friday I spoke at the splendid Glasgow Science Centre at the Association of Science and Discovery Centre Marketing Conference.
The audience were as bright and enthusiastic a bunch as I’ve come across – scientists, social media experts and marketers. But what I don’t think they’d quite switched on to and one of the speakers before me, the redoubtable Ken Robinson the former head of the Tourism Alliance, certainly passed on from, the fact that science is bullseye centre of 2013 as a topic of news.
What these champions of the future need to do is to pass on their appetite for life and their bright eyed optimism to the souls who teach the sciences, many so leadenly.
If I were 11 again I’d now want to be a scientist. And yet previously all my life I wanted to be a poet.
And here’s why.
Freeman J. Dyson in his book “The Scientist as Rebel” captures it: –
“From Galileo to today’s amateur astronomers, scientists have been rebels. Like artists and poets, they are free spirits who resist the restrictions their cultures impose on them. In their pursuit of nature’s truths, they are guided as much by imagination as by reason, and their greatest theories have the uniqueness and beauty of great works of art.”
Go to a science centre soon and see if the passion I got on Friday isn’t catching. And reflect on that early rebellious scientist.
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5 comments:
Surely not contradiction to be a poet and a scientist (or vice versa). William
Confession: just a couple of years ago, there was no way that I would even consider thinking about science and scientists! Even less, wanting to know about them. Today things have changed and I must admit that I am an avid fan of Albert Einstein, Charles Darwin, Neils Bohr, Alexander Fleming, Stephen Hawking and many others. And I am even able to recite their biographies by memory. Hmmmm....Mr. Hall you are absolutely right! Scientists are in fashion! And I just realized it!
The great poets, philosphers, scientists, mathematicians, composers etc were mostly polymaths. above Plato's school it read '"Do not enter unless you know geometry'. the age of lazy distinctions should come to an end. Einstein was one of the great philosphers and theologians and Pythagarus was one of the great scientists, as well as introducing buddihsm to greece and then, by proxy,asia. a rebel is anoyone who fails to understand that there are set rules and to whom the world remains an unconquerable mystery
b
Leda,
You are in fact on the ball. Science is suddenly more fun than anyone had managed to tell us before.
It’s about the art and the thrill of discovery.
Richard
Dear William,
No not a contradiction at all. In fact the same appetite for discovery and for breaking through frontiers exists for both.
It’s just that science until recently seemed somehow remote from the colour and emotion of the humanities.
No more.
Richard
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