"You don't fucking love science." - Maddox

[ScienceNostalgia101]

http://thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=youre_not_a_nerd

 

So I was recently thinking about this Maddox article today, as I was trying to snap some pictures and videos of the scenic sunset. Photography is an interest of mine, but to some extent so is chemistry, so it brought to mind this article challenging the sincerity of the supposed love for science of people who love the photography brought to us by science.

 

The first reason was "why don't you go do some." I think not everyone is willing to commit to 8 years in university, along with the subsequent "publish or perish" lifestyle to become a scientist. People say they love sex while posting on Tumblr instead of having some. That doesn't mean they're lying.

 

The second reason was that the more mundane, esoteric links on Facebook don't get as much attention as the more relatable and/or politically charged links. I think that's just par for the course in just about any walk of life, including those other than science. A teacher's attention might more easily be drawn to some commentary on the upcoming school board election than to some commentary on Bloom's Taxonomy. That doesn't mean they don't care about education. (Or about Bloom's Taxonomy, for that matter.)

 

What say you, science forums?

[Curious layman]

30 minutes ago, ScienceNostalgia101 said:

think not everyone is willing to commit to 8 years in university, along with the subsequent "publish or perish" lifestyle to become a scientist.

Agreed.

Not everyone is able to understand science at degree level even if they could commit. The type of science I like, applied science/engineering would be more accurate, would take PhD level science to understand. I could do some basic science if I wanted, but I'd rather read about 6th generation fighter planes instead.

I think the article is a being a little hard, they've got a point, but in today's world it better than "I don't trust science", a worrying trend in some circles I think.

Edited January 27, 2021 by Curious layman

[CharonY]

It sounds to me that it might be about folks who profess a superficial love for science or anything sounding "sciency" (or like science ficton-y) but do not have actual interests in that area as such. Essentially folks that assume that liking science memes being the same as liking science. 

I also disagree that one needs to have a higher degree to get into science. There are many hobbies that provide in-depth knowledge about certain parts of that natural words, including e.g. bird watching or wildlife photography. It is more about to what depth you involve yourself into it.

Fundamentally anyone running an aquarium or doing birdwatching is learning and applying more science that self-professed geeks who want to use Crispr to make superhumans.

[MigL]

I really have no idea what the OP is about.
But, at the risk of going off-topic, this caught my eye.

3 hours ago, Curious layman said:

but I'd rather read about 6th generation fighter planes instead.

And if we can come to a common understanding of what 6th generation entails ( as opposed to 5th and 4th ), I would be more than willing to discuss the topic at length, with you.
In a new thread in the engineering section, of course.