The general public is scientifically illiterate

[nismaratwork]

Hi Nismaratwork. Thanks for the interesting and informative reply - I'm thinking a lot about it all.

spelling edit

Thanks, you brought up some interesting objections I had to carefully consider. I look forward to your conclusions.

 

[SixNein]

Wow, you're making ridiculous assumptions about what I know, and you're wrong on all counts. You're also changing the topic to fame for reasons that escape me. I used the names I did for the sake of illustrating a point, and you retorting with other brilliant minds in no way supports the notion that ANYONE can achieve similar results with "hard work". SixNein, stay on topic and stop playing rhetorical games. You made a ridiculous statement, now back it up or step down. You said that "the average farmers" and the Hamiltons of the world are on equal footing, lacking only the amount of work they put into a given field. You're ignoring intelligence, which is insane in my view, so please... having made this absurd statement provide something to back it up other than a happy diversion and assumptions about my knowledge of history.

The English word 'may' is not an absolute.

If you would like an example of success through hard work, the mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan is the perfect example. He worked on mathematics almost every waking moment of his life. He even dropped out of college because he wouldn't take the time away from mathematics to study something else. He would work on mathematics all day long, and he would dream about it at night. Because of his hard work and dedication, he became one of the best mathematicians if not the best in recent history. Now compare the time and work he spent to that of an average mathematician.

 

[nismaratwork]

The English word 'may' is not an absolute.

If you would like an example of success through hard work, the mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan is the perfect example. He worked on mathematics almost every waking moment of his life. He even dropped out of college because he wouldn't take the time away from mathematics to study something else. He would work on mathematics all day long, and he would dream about it at night. Because of his hard work and dedication, he became one of the best mathematicians if not the best in recent history. Now compare the time and work he spent to that of an average mathematician.

OK, maybe we're talking across purposes here... I'm not saying that you don't need hard work to achieve in science and math, I'm saying that alone is not enough. You've moved from a farmer to great minds in math and science... and that's not the same discussion. I don't disagree with your current argument, but it's not the same one as we were originally having.

 

[SixNein]

OK, maybe we're talking across purposes here... I'm not saying that you don't need hard work to achieve in science and math, I'm saying that alone is not enough.

If a person had some kind of mental retardation, I would agree; however, I would disagree with a normal person. Intelligence is a very subjective thing. If you measured a person's IQ before and after training of mathematics or physics, I would place a wager that it would be noticeably higher after completion of the training provided that the person worked hard. The mind would build itself up just like a muscle.

I think anyone could become anything with the proper motivation and the guts to tear down mental barriers that they may have put up in the past.

 

[nismaratwork]

If a person had some kind of mental retardation, I would agree; however, I would disagree with a normal person. Intelligence is a very subjective thing. If you measured a person's IQ before and after training of mathematics or physics, I would place a wager that it would be noticeably higher after completion of the training provided that the person worked hard. The mind would build itself up just like a muscle.

I think anyone could become anything with the proper motivation and the guts to tear down mental barriers that they may have put up in the past.

OK, well we fundamentally disagree on that point, and if this were another area of PF I'd ask for sources, but in the context of general discussion, I think maybe it's best if we agree to disagree.

 

[Andy]

hmmm, as a member of the general public i am deeply offended by this thread. But due to being a member of the great general public i don't know why.

 

[nismaratwork]

hmmm, as a member of the general public i am deeply offended by this thread. But due to being a member of the great general public i don't know why.

It's result of the entire thread being a coded message specifically insulting the size of the readers penis.

Kidding aside, being illiterate in the literal sense is really nothing to be offended by, or about, it's a cause to action to learn to read. I think scientific illiteracy is the same thing, and not a cause for offense, just a cause for action to be taken. You don't point at someone who is functionally illiterate and laugh, you help them learn to read... kind of the whole point of sites such as this.

Unless your post was just meant as a joke, in which case it's the penis thing.

 

[Andy]

Does the world really need more professor frinks? i think not.

 

[nismaratwork]

Does the world really need more professor frinks? i think not.

We already have plenty of Barneys and Burns... so yeah, I'd say so.

 

[Andy]

Not enough homers though...

 

[nismaratwork]

Not enough homers though...

On that, we can agree.

 

[collinsmark]

One of my Abstruse Goose favorites. (http://abstrusegoose.com/" )

[PLAIN]http://abstrusegoose.com/strips/ignorance.PNG

Formal link: http://abstrusegoose.com/205"

 

[nismaratwork]

One of my Abstruse Goose favorites. (http://abstrusegoose.com/" )

[PLAIN]http://abstrusegoose.com/strips/ignorance.PNG

Formal link: http://abstrusegoose.com/205"

I like the "I am become death" reference; it makes the punchline that much sweeter.

 

[Vagn]

For some reason I suspect that headlines like this don't exactly promote scientific literacy:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencet...n-sense-touch-patients-artificial-limbs.html"

 

[nismaratwork]

For some reason I suspect that headlines like this don't exactly promote scientific literacy:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencet...n-sense-touch-patients-artificial-limbs.html"

*facepalm*

Yeah, I can't imagine that does help at all... ugh.

 

[lisab]

For some reason I suspect that headlines like this don't exactly promote scientific literacy:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencet...n-sense-touch-patients-artificial-limbs.html"

That really made me laugh! Then, on second thought...not so much.

 

[nismaratwork]

That really made me laugh! Then, on second thought...not so much.

I think it's for that very reason that humans are constructed to laugh and cry at the same time. *craughs*