Americans like science, but don't understand it

[Cyrus]

Arthur Benjamin makes interesting points about basic mathematics that should be taught in high schools, but isn't, here:

 

[Chi Meson]

If it were one or the other, I'd prefer the company of socially intelligent people to scientifically intelligent ones. You can be good at math and have a good foundation in science, but it doesn't justify treating people like dirt, especially for having a different taste in knowledge than you.

Also, if you want to be able to survive independent of mainstream society, indigenous knowledge far outweighs scientific knowledge.

You appear to be suggesting that scientific intelligence and social capabilities are exclusive; they are not, and it should not be expected to be so.

 

[rootX]

You appear to be suggesting that scientific intelligence and social capabilities are exclusive; they are not, and it should not be expected to be so.

I) Some people can be scientific intelligent but socially incapable.
II) Some people can be socially intelligent but have no scientific intelligence.
III) Some people are both scientifically and socially intelligent but not all people fall into this category.

Pythagorean is only talking about I or II which do exist.

 

[Chi Meson]

I) Some people can be scientific intelligent but socially incapable.
II) Some people can be socially intelligent but have no scientific intelligence.
III) Some people are both scientifically and socially intelligent but not all people fall into this category.

Of course they don't. In fact very few people fall into any clear-cut category at all, including I and II in the above table.

As to Pythagoras' post, I think there was an implied reference within it that I didn't pick up on the first read.

 

[Pythagorean]

Of course they don't. In fact very few people fall into any clear-cut category at all, including I and II in the above table.

As to Pythagoras' post, I think there was an implied reference within it that I didn't pick up on the first read.

I didn't mean to imply that everyone was one or the other. I was just saying that given a choice between the two extreme situations, I would prefer the more socially intelligent company.

I definitely don't mean to spread the stereotype that all scientists are socially inept. Also, I don't really mean to cut on that kind of social inadequacy. The scientist stereotype often refers to nervous and awkward. This may not mark a social elite, but they're eons ahead of crass and pretentious (which is what I was mostly referring to).

 

[George Jones]

Some might find the following to be quite surprising.

Art Hobson, in a letter published the July 2008 issue of The American Journal of Physics, writes:

"Fortunately, the U.S. system of higher education allows us a perfect opportunity to do this. Our system requires most college students to take a variety of general education courses in history, language, literature, the arts, and the sciences. All European nations, and most other nations, have no such general education requirements for college students. U.S. adults have scored far higher than European adults during two decades of tests of general scientific literacy by Jon D. Miller,² Director of the International Center for Scientific Literacy at Michigan State University. Miller has shown that the U.S. required college science courses for nonscientists are almost certainly the reason for this unexpected result, and that these courses are surprisingly effective at instilling lifelong scientific literacy.³ As Miller puts it, “What we are seeing here is a result of the fact that Americans are required to take science courses at the university, while Europeans and Asians are not.

² For an overview of Miller’s program of scientific literacy measurements and analysis, see J. Trefil, Why Science?
Teacher’s College Press, New York, 2008, Chap. 6.

³ A. Hobson, “The surprising effectiveness of college scientific literacy courses,” submitted for publication to The Physics Teacher, preprint available at physics.uark.edu/hobson/ pubs/08.01.TPT.html."

 

[Evo]

Off topic posts deleted, the thread is closed.