Why Do Physicists Face Such Persistent Stereotypes and Misconceptions?

[Nick M]

Why is there so much discrimination against scientists?

Something discussed at length in any good Philosophy 101 course.

 

[tanker]

I'm assuming you're in the US. In the US in the 19th and 20th centuries, there was a history of religious fundamentalism and general mistrust of science.

You seem to imply that due to religious fundamentalism, there is distrust of science. While that is likely true, I think there's a bigger reason for the whole "eww science" thing. Really, there was this huge attitude during the 50's and 60's that science would solve everything, solve all our problems (e.g. space race and moon colonies). Now we still have problems, and when the general layperson hears "physics" they no longer think atom bombs and space ships but only hear esoteric topics such as subatomic physics and string theory that look to have no direct applications; as such, they think it's a waste of time and money. A coworker of mine (at Safeway) was saying how (not directed at me, she didn't know I was a physics major) "you shouldn't learn stuff unless it's directly applicable." GRRR. Where would universities be, or our technology be, if we thought like that?

Let me give you an example from real life letter in a local paper: the reason the author thought we didn't have efficient emissions free cars is because we are teaching "150 year old electricity theories." It's obviously implied that they're somehow outdated. Oh MAN. Could it ever occur to her (/him) that Mr. Maxwell there was right? GRRR. See, this ignorance of science extends to all stupid people, not just religious fundamentalists (note: I am in no way implying a link between intelligence and religion), and is why I think that's a bigger problem.

Oh, and to reply to the OP, it seems like the girls in the physics class last year (second year Relativity and Quanta course) had the opposite problem - many of them weren't quite "with it" and I don't know what they were doing there. And since they were the good looking ones, they had entourages of helpless guys (the "ooh look at me" type who likes to show of their often flawed knowledge - we have lots of those) who would help them through the course.

Of course, there were good looking ones who had a bit more brains, but they were outnumbered quite handily by the type described above.