The question of why science is so essential in our times is sometimes a tricky one. While science does bring around endless new discoveries and innovation for the greater good, it does have certain downfalls, like the pollution that now surrounds the earth as a result of technological innovations. Although science does sometimes pose problems, it is also the only means through which we can find a solution for these problems. At the end of the day, science does far more good than it does bad, and without science, civilization as we know it would not exist.
It is for that reason that it always shocks me to hear of people doubting ingenious, thorough, and nearly irrefutable theories like Darwin’s theory of Evolution, for what are almost always unfounded reasons. Generally, these reasons have something to do with religion, which makes sense. If someone is raised up to believe that just above the clouds lies the beautiful, eternal land of Heaven, then when men step foot on the moon and return claiming that they saw no trace of anything resembling Heaven, that person may be quick to deny the findings. It is uncomfortable for people to find out that what they have believed all their life is false, so when science makes a claim that may conflict with one of their beliefs, it is no surprise that some enemies are made. If people simply realized that science really and truly is only doing its best to describe phenomenon of the natural world and to better that world, then maybe they wouldn’t have so many problems with some of the claims that scientific studies make.
While evolution is a theory, the people protesting against it generally do not fully understand what is meant by “theory.” Source: http://pazymino1evolutionliteracy.blogs.umassd.edu/2011/01/10/evolution-cartoons/
All of this becomes a real issue to consider when states like Texas try to make teachers add intelligent design to the curriculum of their science classes in place of the theory of evolution. Perhaps it is fair to say that parents should be able to decide what information their children are exposed to, but does that imply that it is okay for masses of children to be miseducated, and taught subjects that we know to be false? Problems like these arise when people fundamentally disagree on something. It is not an issue of there being a lack of information supporting the claim. Instead, people are choosing to deny facts, because accepting them, and the fact that they may have been wrong about a few things, is simply too hard for some.
If this general disregard of science continues, issues like globing warming and limited water are going to be become real, palpable problems in society. Unfortunately, it may take a true tragedy to show people that these concerns absolutely cannot be ignored any longer. I’m confident that at some point soon, people all around the world will fully understand and embrace the importance of science, because society would be empty without it.
