Science and the common man
Science and the common man
Ignorance of the law, it is said, is no excuse. In the midtwentieth century ignorance of science should be no excuse. For, while the first of these statements does not assume that everyone should have a law degree, and the second should not imply that everyone should be a science graduate, the truth is that science has become the social dynamic of our times. It dominates international politics. It threatens our lives and our livelihoods, or, if it is properly applied, it can promise a fuller and a more meaningful life. Yet a great gulf of language and of experiences separates the scientist in his specialty from the wider community, and this separation is fraught with danger for our civilization and for science itself.