How can American adults be more skeptically minded and value science backed evidence over the sea of misinformation that is part of our daily lives?
How can misinformation be detrimental to daily life?
Can the distrust of science harm yourself and others?
Are kids effected by parents who don’t understand science?
Has anyone ever died from being “stupid”?
Is our nation [US] suffering in the world economy due to our failing sciences?
Is there anything that can be done to rekindle America’s confidence in the sciences much like that of the early 70’s?
Can science become “cool” and glorified again?
Why was NASA able to achieve this "cool" factor in the 70's?
Why do American adults tend to believe things that have widely been discredited by science?
Why are American adults willing to put themselves at risk despite what scientists/doctors advise?
Anthony,
ReplyDeleteIn some ways, these are the central questions of our times. The unfathomable ignorance of the US electorate has created a perverse outcome, in which people appear to be unqualified to vote, as we can see from the recent election. We are electing people who don't know anything about government, and who are proud of that. It's not about simple stupidity, but rather a belief that facts and reason don't matter; people are making the conscious decision that knowledge is not necessary to make critical decisions that affect the future of the human race. Given this scenario, it is unclear to me how improving science education will help. You should have a look at The Watchman's Rattle by Rebecca Costa. She argues that the widespread ignorance you are observing is a result of increasing complexity in the world: when people are unable to comprehend the world around them, they resort to irrational beliefs, such as religion, which gives people certainty about the universe.
While I believe that this is a problem that is at the root of many of our current problems, it seems unsolvable in the short term. How can you use product design to improve matters?