How can scientific knowledge help someone in his daily life?

[Daniel Dan]

Hi everyone,

Don't get me wrong, I know that science is very important and that it helps us a lot in our life, but my question is how Scientific Knowledge can help to the average man who is not a scientist? For example a simple worker in a factory, or a cashier in the supermarket, why should they learn biology, chemistry, physics, astronomy, cosmology and other scientific fields? What practical use do they have with this knowledge at home? Or at work? Why do they need it?

(I'm talking about popular science level knowledge)

 

Edited October 17, 2020 by Daniel Dan

[OldChemE]

It depends a lot on what you know and how much you are in the habit of using what you know.  People who have a solid grounding in math and science often apply their knowledge without ever consciously thinking "now I will do science."  When I go to clean the bathroom and look at the available cleaning products my wife has accumulated I find myself considering the ingredients and their possible chemical interactions.  10 years ago a tall pine in our back yard died and looked like it would fall, but I was just packing for a vacation.  So I quickly used the similar triangles method to estimate how tall it was and decided that if it did fall it would be just short enough not to touch our glass back door.  Sure enough we got back from the trip and it was down, and the tip was three feet from the door.  It's just a automatic sort of thought process for people who are accustomed to applying math and science.

[Daniel Dan]

7 minutes ago, OldChemE said:

It depends a lot on what you know and how much you are in the habit of using what you know.  People who have a solid grounding in math and science often apply their knowledge without ever consciously thinking "now I will do science."  When I go to clean the bathroom and look at the available cleaning products my wife has accumulated I find myself considering the ingredients and their possible chemical interactions.  10 years ago a tall pine in our back yard died and looked like it would fall, but I was just packing for a vacation.  So I quickly used the similar triangles method to estimate how tall it was and decided that if it did fall it would be just short enough not to touch our glass back door.  Sure enough we got back from the trip and it was down, and the tip was three feet from the door.  It's just a automatic sort of thought process for people who are accustomed to applying math and science.

Nice example, thanks!

 

[Phi for All]

If more people had a better grasp of biology, fewer would be catching viruses. They certainly wouldn't be protesting PPE requirements and distancing measures.

[CharonY]

Sometimes it is also about simple things that one might be wondering about. Like how does your hand move? Why is it moving in that certain way? Why do I need to eat? What happens to the food?

Of course many of those things are not precisely crucial, but science was always more about curiosity rather than about filling an urgent practical need (with exceptions, of course).

[Markus Hanke]

4 hours ago, Daniel Dan said:

Don't get me wrong, I know that science is very important and that it helps us a lot in our life, but my question is how Scientific Knowledge can help to the average man who is not a scientist? For example a simple worker in a factory, or a cashier in the supermarket, why should they learn biology, chemistry, physics, astronomy, cosmology and other scientific fields? What practical use do they have with this knowledge at home? Or at work? Why do they need it?

In an age where information is abundant, fake news are rampant, and all sorts of conspiracy theories abound, having a modicum of scientific knowledge will help the average citizen to better judge what is genuine information and what is simply BS. Ignorance is the greatest enemy of the common people.

[studiot]

7 hours ago, Daniel Dan said:

Hi everyone,

Don't get me wrong, I know that science is very important and that it helps us a lot in our life, but my question is how Scientific Knowledge can help to the average man who is not a scientist? For example a simple worker in a factory, or a cashier in the supermarket, why should they learn biology, chemistry, physics, astronomy, cosmology and other scientific fields? What practical use do they have with this knowledge at home? Or at work? Why do they need it?

(I'm talking about popular science level knowledge)

 

Well the short answer is they don't need a very high level.
This is compounded by the curriculum taught in too many places.
I think everybody should learn how to wire a plug, change a fuse, read an electricty meter, a wage slip, a bank statement or a till receipt.
None of these are commonly taught in school, as are not too many more scientific or technological life skills.

Edited October 17, 2020 by studiot

[dimreepr]

11 hours ago, Daniel Dan said:

Hi everyone,

Don't get me wrong, I know that science is very important and that it helps us a lot in our life, but my question is how Scientific Knowledge can help to the average man who is not a scientist? For example a simple worker in a factory, or a cashier in the supermarket, why should they learn biology, chemistry, physics, astronomy, cosmology and other scientific fields? What practical use do they have with this knowledge at home? Or at work? Why do they need it?

(I'm talking about popular science level knowledge)

 

I don't think it's matters about the topic of the knowledge, one possess', so much as willingness to learn  more; having said that, it does matter who you learn from, some random guy on the internet is not equivalent to your old English teacher.

[swansont]

If people understood basic physics, they would know why you shouldn’t romp on the gas when your wheels start spinning in the snow and ice.

They would know that boiling water is the same temperature regardless of how vigorously the water is boiling.

[ahmet]

this question is important in fact. And to me,it shows some realities. Here ,in turkey there are many professors who have many scientific publications or known so, but do not have any invention. 

 

an another reply maybe like this:

Science is not a legacy for any specific community or nation or anyone and not inherited.

simply, someone find or invent but other ones or that une uses it or takes the efficacies of science.

Edited October 17, 2020 by ahmet

[dimreepr]

50 minutes ago, swansont said:

If people understood basic physics, they would know why you shouldn’t romp on the gas when your wheels start spinning in the snow and ice.

They would know that boiling water is the same temperature regardless of how vigorously the water is boiling.

I'm not sure why that is more important than the correct placement of a comma...