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Why do you think science is important? Feel free to support, disagree or question our contributors by leaving comments on their individual pages, but if you’d like to add your own answer, do so here or email Alom Shaha at alom.shaha(at)gmail.com if you’d like to appear on the front page.

So:

Why is science important?

55 Comments

  1. Posted November 9, 2008 at 9:25 PM | Permalink | Reply

    I have always been very interested in Science and I finally obtained an engineer degree in fluid mechanics.
    I then completed with an education in commercial stuff because I wanted to see how I would handle the « hard way » ; worked a few years in selling innovation stuff. I now own a science website with a shop that sells all kind of things that illustrate science principles.

    My interest in Science ? ... Let's remember ...

    I told my father, physician, that, as far as I can remember, this goes back to when I was 5 (the very age at which Einstein related that he was fascinated by a compass).

    I was indeed participating in a kind of fun sport event for kids ; you know, like jumping in a potato bag and so forth.

    My team was very bad at those events and I was now daring that our team went last of all.

    One of the last « sport » was to get over obstacles while carrying a potato in a spoon. I think I asked my father how to win this one.

    He then answered me :

    «Squat as much as you can and that will work ; it is a « center of gravity » trick ! ».

    I obeyed and effectively managed the course : my potato never fell down. Then I said to all my team-mates to do the same and they all passed the obstacles.

    We won this event and we saved our honor.

    Science became that day the only « sound » God I could rely on so far (the other ones never responded :lol:).


    I mostly focused on Physics since then but I hate to say this but I am more inclined to recognize that « supreme » science is ... biology indeed (including Evolution). I am still tempted to read stuff on Physics but rationale would orient me to Biology as N°1 of Science discipline. You will see a bit why now.

    Now, after a lot of pondering, I really believe Science is more of a paradoxical thing.

    You all know intuitively that issue when we talk about atomic matters, especially the French people the energy of which is mostly nuclear : great to heat our homes with almost non polluting electricity but threat of atomic explosions and contaminations.

    I am not going to go further in the ubiquity of discoveries about the atom but it mostly show that, when dealing with Science, humans have to face both useful discoveries for a better living and fear all the potential consequences of these discoveries in the meantime.

    A very interesting thing to remember is the fact that Science permitted our ASTOUNDING today's longevity (figures ), especially in the developed world but NOT ONLY (figures ) since, if we compare with middle ages in Europe, all current African countries seem to have far more average longevity (despite poverty) !

    At age 37 (I would certainly be dead if born a few centuries ago), I will not complain about this progress but let's see what « global fears » we can see in that :

    Lots of specialists say that there is clear overpopulation and mostly from people who, like me, tend to overuse of natural ressources and pollute far too much.

    Science is clear about it : if all the people on today's Earth had my standard of living and longevity (my earnings are though a bit under the average French who pays taxes), one planet Earth will not be enough ...

    So, I am a lucky "privileged".

    Science states that way that this overpopulation and progress is actually threatening humanity.

    So, let's face the truth ! I will not get into evangelism when talking about Science : it is really a paradoxical thing.

    Science is the motor of innovation and Obama got a lot of support of researchers because Obama always claimed that he will give priority to Science.

    Obama believes that Science is the base spurring economic growth (see this economic theory Endogenous_growth_theory, Wikipedia ) and not the result of it.

    Obama draws on Science to get back to growth economic model while this very Science can demonstrate him that Growth is unsustainable (so find something else if you are such a claimed innovative leader) !

    Now you see more than ever, why we need INTELLIGENT Science and not « slave science ».

    I always considered that researchers where at the Top of the human pyramid (if you want to draw one) of what humans can produce thanks to their awesome tool : the brain.

    Yet, we have to admit that our individual brain is both implied in cause AND potential solution of all our today's problems.

    Many animal species right now would have better hoped that we never got such a damn brain ! (and no scientist will dare say that our specie is better than the ones we exterminate every day ...)

    CONCLUSION

    The real results of Science development depend of what gives the incentives for Science direction to ensure our survival as a specie : if it is the actors of economy mostly, we are obviously doomed because their views are known by everyone to be short-term oriented (see subprime crisis and all previous ones).

    MORAL

    So, if there is a kid coming to me and would ask if Science is worth studying, I would say :

    «Yes ! But sign the contract that stipulate : Never stop along the way and explore everything. If you stop in the middle, the risk will be very great that some will exploit your knowledge and the latter will contribute to do harm more than if you had stayed completely ignorant » (there are many historic examples about it).

    Science is for me like my wife : sometimes, I LOVE her and sometimes, I HATE her (but I come back everytime ...).

  2. Posted November 17, 2008 at 12:03 PM | Permalink | Reply

    Without science, we're as lost and scared as a Homo Erectus in a thunderstorm.

    Sure, science makes us all healthier and wealthier and all that. But to only ever ask what practical benefits science can bring is to live the life of an animal in clothes. Ultimately, science is important for the same reasons that music, freedom or love are important: to populate the dark, cold universe with amazing little beings which seek to do more with their brief existence than merely make it more comfortable, or less brief.

    Science provides natural explanations for your existence - a map which tells us where you are and what you are. If you don't think such explanations are important, existence is probably wasted on you.

  3. Posted November 18, 2008 at 2:59 AM | Permalink | Reply

    Despite bad marks I kept on taking science classes, because there were some things I just wanted to know. When I took my A-levels I was finally rewarded for my persistence: the teachers did away with simple explanations and the world was as weird as I had always felt it should be, and my marks also got better. Finally, with particles, quantum effects and all, I was happy in my science class! Gaining an insight into the world's complexity has profoundly shaped my worldview, and I will always be grateful to the teachers who were not prejudiced because of my previous 'performance' and explained these things to me.

  4. Posted November 24, 2008 at 1:58 AM | Permalink | Reply

    An excellent initiative indeed!The cleavage in between science and humanity is painfully still there though decades have passed when C.P.Snow pointed towards a phenomenon like that.But still I would prefer to go by the side of science because this is only creative human pursuit which is largely unbiased and adopts a clear cut methodology to reach to the truth.But a lot has to be done to attract people towards a way of living with science.An initiative like this is really a praiseworthy step taken in this direction.
    We have planned a whole year of programme in celebration of Charles Darwin's bicentenary to take up this issue humbly to the Indian people why science should be important to them ! I think Charles is most befitting personality to communicate this point of view not only to Indian people but to people anywhere of/on this planet.Science is really important for many of those people who earnestly desire to free the humanity from shackles of ignorance , dogmatism and many kinds of superstitions !
    Wish you a grand success in your endeavor which in fact is not solely yours but a common cause shared by like minded people across the planet earth.But yes you are the torch bearer !

  5. Theodore Brown
    Posted November 28, 2008 at 3:42 PM | Permalink | Reply

    There are many answers to the question of why science is important. It may be important to individuals, and for a variety of reasons. One of the more important is that it is a pathway to seeing and understanding the world in terms that we might refer to as "rational". Historically, science broke away from a reliance on beliefs in gods or other transcendental forces humans did not understand to provide explanations for the things going on in the world. By offering causal explanations of events in the world, science wrested authority away from religion and other social sectors. So science made it possible for individuals to make sense of their physical world, and also provided the means for asking and effectively going about answering questions that continually arise. There is an aesthetic to this, an orderly convergence of reasoned thought and imagination that makes science "beautiful". Those of us who have lived a life in science know this, and - if we are true scientists - we treasure it.
    In the fullness to time, science has become a powerful force in society. It has an immense instrumental importance;that is, it has provided (and here I conflate science and technology, as the two are symboiotically related) the manifold things that make for modern life, and in the process it has really defined the nature of modern life for much of the world. We can't ignore science because of this instrumental importance. But beyond that, science is important because it is the means by which humankind must address the many issues it confronts every day, at levels from the most local to world-wide. Because these issues are public ones, in a highly functional society, all members of the public would be informed at some level of the underlying scientific basis for understanding them and moving toward their resolution. We are, sadly, a long way from that, and explaining to a child or young person struggling with survival in a dangerous neighborhood or bad school why science should be important to them is a great challenge. Those of us who are in science became interested in it because we were curious about the world around us. The key in interesting someone in science is always to arouse that curiosity and foster the intellectual tools for seeking answers.

  6. Jasmine Spavieri
    Posted November 28, 2008 at 8:45 PM | Permalink | Reply

    Science is important because it brings us together as a species. A carbon molecule forms four bonds whether you live in Kentucky or in Beijing. The genetic code is universal and a solar eclipse is just as beautiful whether you are rich or poor.
    We can base all aspects of our behaviour on the relationships between molecules, the death of a receptor in our synapses can lead to a loss in our memory and can make us forget a birthday or miss our flight...
    Science is important because any situation can be broken down and explained in terms of neurotransmitters, atoms and energy, even if its just a hypothetical explanation! Science give things different dimensions, happiness used to be seen only as a state of mind but now it can be explained in terms of serotonin and dopamine levels... knowing this does't make us any happier but it makes us wiser!

  7. Posted February 6, 2009 at 6:50 PM | Permalink | Reply

    There are so many reasons science is important and I discuss one inadvertent revelation (that math is useful) I made about myself while I was giving a video review of Death from the Skies! by Philip Plait. http://www.youtube.com/user/joannelovesscience

    Check around the 4:20 minute mark. Kindly, Joanne

  8. Posted February 22, 2009 at 5:14 AM | Permalink | Reply

    Why Science is important? A good question, i like to answer with respect to my 6 year old son. He is in Kindergarten. He recently won a district science fair award for best science project. I am an Electronics engineer, and i know the apple did not fall far from the tree, but by observing my kid i know why science is important. It is because of the question "Why?". My son asks at least 10 different questions why some thing is behaving like it is. It is the absolute curiosity about humans to know how things are behaving the way it is. There are still millions of questions unanswered about the universe, and everything around us. By pursuing the answers to all these questions is the ultimate quest, and it will never end. That's the challenge for us to wake up everyday and go to work. Thats why science is important to guide us to understand how it all created and evolved and also understand the unknowns. I hope one day we will understand about everything, but me and my son wont be around to know it for sure..

    Also please checkout my blog "Young Scientist" at www.usscientist.blogspot.com, which is to create a spark in young kids about science and technology.

  9. TJ
    Posted March 12, 2009 at 12:16 AM | Permalink | Reply

    What a wonderful site! As a former science teacher, I got a big grin when the kids asked "What's the point of all this?"

    Luckily ;-) we've got a lot of wonderful technology now to help us explain such rocket-sciency questions. BRAVO! for using it!

  10. Ali Al-Moamen
    Posted March 13, 2009 at 10:29 AM | Permalink | Reply

    Science is important because it is fundamental to the pursuit of knowledge. The scientific method itself is geared towards the gaining of new knowledge. The definition of knowledge is justified true belief, and the scientific method is separated into 3 parts: The Hypothesis which is a justified belief based on reasonable facts, the experimentation which is the justification and the truth gained by testing the hypothesis, and the conclusion where you hope to find truth and proper justification or rejection of your hypothesis. Science is the main catalyst to the growth of knowledge and discovery.

  11. Posted March 14, 2009 at 10:47 PM | Permalink | Reply

    I could repeat some of what is above, but I'd prefer to amplify the most basic part of a complete answer - the definition of science.

    Science is important because science it is, by far, the most reliable and accurate means for acquiring knowledge. ALL knowledge. Science is not simply about space, planets, & stars. It is not simply about bacteria, DNA, and proteins. It is not just a means for solving crimes, classifying plants, or producing vaccines. It is not just a way to develop fuel sources and computational power. It is not simply a means for determining for whom we should vote or whom we should believe. It is the way to find out about everything.

    What makes science superior to other methods:

    - The scientific process produces more than facts; it also produces a measure of certainty about the accuracy of those facts.
    - It is designed to value accuracy over immediacy, but maintains current knowledge while new information is considered.
    - It ascribes no social or moral value on the knowledge it produces. Truth is not ignored simply because it is not pretty.
    - It incorporates the best of other methods for acquiring knowledge (logic without empiricism, empiricism without logic, intuition, authority) while removing the human biases and assumptions that those methods cannot avoid.
    - It assumes nothing. This property allows for all new information to be considered without bias toward current beliefs. Scientists are allowed to be wrong and, if they have followed all of the "rules" of science, they may be wrong without losing credibility.

    Even if the first principles on which all scientific knowledge rests prove to be false, science itself does not fail. Of course scientists would need to start from scratch, but something tells me that most would be happy to do so!

    The most important point that I can make here, though, is that science is not simply important because it provides us with information about specific "sciency" things. It is important because it is the best method for acquiring ALL knowledge, ALL information.

    There is nothing - absolutely nothing - one can know about the world that cannot be learned through science.

  12. Posted March 16, 2009 at 8:48 PM | Permalink | Reply

    Science rocks, great film Alom, more please.

  13. Victor Dominocielo
    Posted March 28, 2009 at 4:02 PM | Permalink | Reply

    Science is important because it is one of only two ways that the human brain is able to think about the world around it: scientifically or emotionally. We always observe, question and postulate answers about the world around us. Our answers are either made up emotionally or tested scientifically. Both forms of thinking are necessary in a person's life. So, science is important because we do it all the time, during every second of our lives, as we balance the two ways that our brain is constantly processing information about our world.

  14. Posted March 29, 2009 at 9:32 AM | Permalink | Reply

    because science is beautiful...

    it's another side to one's wild imagination. without a hypothesis there can't be a theory. so science cannot exist without imagination. a scientist should have a wild imagination; 'should pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe' and hypothesize.

    einstein said: "The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and all science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead: his eyes are closed."

    and karl popper said: "...I realized that such myths may be developed, and become testable; that historically speaking all — or very nearly all — scientific theories originate from myths, and that a myth may contain important anticipations of scientific theories."

    because science gives rational answers to the "whys" and "hows" of natural phenomena

    the purpose of science is to explain natural phenomena. why is the sky blue during the day? and why is it dark in the night? why are rainbows round? what happens to all the food i eat? etc.

    e.g.
    what am i made of? cells
    what are cells made of? atoms
    what are atoms made of? electrons, neutrons, protons, etc.
    what are they made of? quarks, leptons, bosons, etc.
    what are they made of? hmmm
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Particle_overview.svg
    feel free to add to that picture

    because science can be enjoyed...

    is music for musicians? do i have to be an music academic to enjoy music? there is a difference between studying science and enjoying science. just like music.

    try studying music for a few days. you'll hate it! it'll be as boring as studying science!

    to call science boring is stereotypical. just because you have a preconceived opinion about it based on childhood experiences etc. doesn't mean that it's boring

    try to understand science as opposed to studying it and you'll enjoy it better
    :)

    because science is not about its theories...

    is pizza about its recipe? is music about notes and stuff? are movies about lighting and special effects?

    similarly, science is not about its theories and boring science periods. it's not about the trauma you went through learning science in school.

    without theories there won't be science. just like we'd not be having pizza if not for its recipe. we'd just be eating vegetables and meat (and cheese).

    e.g.:
    motorcycles can accelerate much faster with a much smaller engine than a car. a car can accelerate much faster than a train. a train can accelerate much faster than a cargo ship. why?

  15. Tulika Jhunjhnuwala
    Posted March 29, 2009 at 10:39 AM | Permalink | Reply

    Science is important because it makes the world beautiful.

    We all know the saying, ‘beauty is in the eye of the beholder’. For me, beauty is only that when it has a reason, some deeper meaning. True beauty is being moved – delighted or saddened – it makes you feel. The Mona Lisa is an ordinary-looking woman but it is her smile – the mystery behind it, the untold secrets – that make her beautiful. In the same way, in science, beauty is the ecstasy in fully grasping an illusive concept.

    Science attempts to portray reality in its simple form by trying to understand the basics of our world and how it works. The Greek mathematician, Archimedes, ran through the streets yelling “Eureka!” upon his discovery of water displacement. This moment of discovery, where the answer appears as if out of nowhere, is beautiful to a scientist. The beauty is in the acquisition of knowledge, understanding what makes the colours of a rainbow, the feeling of delight experienced in knowing you can explain something so complex and beautiful. Having a challenge set before to you, rising to meet it and finally achieving what you set out to do – that is what is relished. In the words of Keats, “Beauty is truth, truth beauty, - that is all”

  16. Claus Soerensen
    Posted March 30, 2009 at 5:49 PM | Permalink | Reply

    Science is important because it is the only universal and self-correcting method of observation and thought that requires absolutely no amount of "belief".

  17. Posted April 6, 2009 at 4:43 PM | Permalink | Reply

    Science is important because it offers us a methodology to test via observation and develop hypothesis/models of structure and causation that are effective in terms of prediction of the activity of the systems both natural and designed, that we live with. It attempts to address the issue of confirmation bias, hence widening the effectiveness of the models, by searching for data which disprove hypothesis, and adapting the models accordingly.

    It searches for effective knowledge which is then used to guide us in our relationship to and to intervene in natural systems, and design systems that operate predictably and effectivly.

    Hence science holds a position of great power.

    However it's basis in Reductionism, Repeatability and Refutability while providing that power lead to a number of very important issues:

    - The problem of induction (Hume) (can we be certain of the predictions science makes)


    - There are arguments about the validity of the knowledge basis of science and how it relates to values: can it really be value free / is there always a leap of faith ?Maxwell, N. http://www.knowledgetowisdom.org/

    - Science success tends to reduce as systems it addresses become more complex , the systems movement has addressed these issues (Checkland, P. Systems Thinking Systems Practice (Introduction))

    - An accessible discussion of science can be found in "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintnance", Pirsig R

    - The work of Sheldrake, R http://www.sheldrake.org/homepage.html addresses addresses living systems

    - Brian Swimme Cosmologist also provides overview and insight.
    http://www.brianswimme.org/

  18. Posted April 7, 2009 at 2:20 AM | Permalink | Reply

    There are many sophisticated answers here that have covered most of the bases now. So, I simply want to state why science matters for me:
    It is the most objective means of finding the truth, and the only viable antidote for dogmatism.

  19. Posted April 9, 2009 at 3:54 AM | Permalink | Reply

    One of the difficulties in answering this question is that there are so many answers to it. Another difficulty, for me at least, is that the importance of science has been an axiom of my life and thus I find it really difficult to see why anyone should even consider the possibility that science isn't important.

    For me science provides the means to ask questions and the hope that I can find answers that lead to further questions. Without questions to answer life is dull.

    Also science provides me with a bullshit detector. Adam Hart-Davis mentioned MMR in his section of the video. Shortly after this controversy first came up I was talking to a couple of relatives one of whom had a young son and the subject of whether he was going to have the MMR vaccine was raised. I pointed out the what I saw as flaws in Andrew Wakefield's research methodology. It then occurred to me that I had no common language with my relatives. Both are well educated, one of them has a degree, but have little science in their backgrounds, so what to me were obvious flaws were to them seemingly unimportant trifles.

    There is a dangerous disconnect in our society. A hundred years ago most people understood the technology they used. Today few do and that is dangerous. How are we going to answer questions about the the use of technologies if we don't understand what the technology does let alone how it works? Look at the big questions facing mankind, from global warming to HIV, and you see scientific questions. How is the public to understand these questions without understanding the science?

  20. Entropyman
    Posted April 12, 2009 at 4:38 AM | Permalink | Reply

    I was fascinated that the question, "Why is Science Important" stumped many of the scientists the author questioned. Perhaps they do not know how to answer it as they have so completely absorbed science's greatest triumphs - curiosity, skepticism and the rule of reason tempered by experiment, that they don't fully appreciate the question.

    Science is, as one of the commenter's stated, one of the greatest triumphs of civilized thought. Finally, humanity had a method which promoted reasoned discourse, and careful experimentation. In other words, reason was now shackled to reality.

    The scientific process unshackled human thought from superstition and religious precepts and tethered to a relentless march for facts tested by reality and rather than "stress testing" thought with logic alone. Logic alone proved to be so unreliable that science replaced it with a method that permits man and woman to agree on results despite differing cultures, religions or nationalities. A rare and wonderful gift, more powerful than any religion.

    I differ with one commenter who thinks that science is like his Mother. I agree that scientific discourse can be rough and practitioners may stray from scientific rigor. But institution is beyond reproach.

  21. Al
    Posted April 13, 2009 at 6:43 PM | Permalink | Reply

    Why Science is important?
    Human beings, because of our evolutionary origins, have a limited ability to determine cause and effect. Science as a philosophical framework allow Humans to go beyond those limits and the pitfalls of "common sense" and determine the best fit theory which explains the empirical evidence without recourse to emotional and intellectual vanity. This is important as it has allowed us to increase our lifespan, the survivability of our offspring and to otherwise manipulate our surroundings to ensure our success as a species.

  22. Posted April 14, 2009 at 4:10 AM | Permalink | Reply

    Because knowledge is better than ignorance.

  23. Zac Marx
    Posted April 23, 2009 at 10:27 PM | Permalink | Reply

    = It can give us all a better understanding of existence and therefore with fact, we can make better decisions.

  24. madscor
    Posted June 16, 2009 at 12:31 PM | Permalink | Reply

    pls give the answer

  25. Spiros Kitsinelis
    Posted July 15, 2009 at 6:43 PM | Permalink | Reply

    Science is not only creating new worlds but is also providing solutions to the problems of the present worlds. And since science is affecting each and everyone one of us on this planet is it only logical that we want everyone to have a saying and an interest in it.

    Moreover and aside the practical aspect of science, I truly believe that what makes us humans different is the intellectual voyage. I feel that we could play the role of the universe's conciousness. We were perhaps created by the cosmos so that it understands itself. And this can only be achieved through science.

  26. Dan M.
    Posted July 19, 2009 at 5:04 PM | Permalink | Reply

    There is a small irony to this project. The film compiles the opinions of a self selecting group of science supporters to make the claim that science is important by mostly citing anecdotal evidence. Therefore, the film would only be convincing to those who don't value scientific reasoning. What is needed is not opinions and anecdotes, but a proper measurement of science's importance. So, it seems that unscientific methods are being used to trick people into believing in the value of the scientific method. I'm not sure this is in the best interest of the cause.

  27. Posted July 22, 2009 at 11:56 AM | Permalink | Reply

    The good thing about Science is that it has plenty of room to show both experimentally and theoretically how wrong a theory is.

  28. W Smit replied to comment from Dan M.
    Posted September 30, 2009 at 8:00 PM | Permalink | Reply

    How would you go about scientifically reasoning the opinions people have about possible 'answers' (i.e., opinions) of this question? There is not one answer better than all the others, for it is not a question that should be tackled using the scientific method.

    People are not being 'tricked' into believing the importance of the scientific method. One should relate the opinions given in the film and the comments to their own, or form their own and think about why they find the scientific method important.

    Simply believing the 'answers' given in this film would do injustice to what this film is about (in my opinion).

  29. ewan obree
    Posted January 11, 2010 at 2:06 AM | Permalink | Reply

    Science is the look for truth , knowledge and understanding.
    science cares nothing for what people think is true only what IS true. my dad showed me true Science is based in Critical
    Thinking. were open mindness is as needed as understanding of what things mean. the scientific method is the only method as we know to make things like pcs eta but the method is more a mind set.
    to find things out , wonder about everyting pushing the line of human understanding even proving the line isnt real. a wise man once sayed " you cant think how to fix the problem with the same mind that made it" . in other words Science is to find out what works throw evadince
    and testing .
    thats why we need it
    to show what really works

  30. Posted April 29, 2010 at 8:08 PM | Permalink | Reply

    you are soo mean, but we do need science to live

  31. Jeremy Atkins
    Posted May 16, 2010 at 9:27 PM | Permalink | Reply

    Science is a filter that purifies the eternal rivers of information, so that we can drink it without fear of sickness or setback. It is the net that catches us from falling back into the dark ages and it is the engine that propels us into a future of unknown grandeur. Science is a metaphor that manifests itself in technology, understanding, and legend. It is an autobiography of the Universe transcribed through the products of stardust and evolution. Science is a poem that grows ever more beautiful due to its foundation of fact and it is collaborative nature. Most of all, Science is a way of life. A lens through which the true nature of the universe is magnified, utilized, and personified. I believe scientific processes are so often personified for the reason that everyone can see a little bit of themselves in it... Like the shadows of a shared origin, and the distant wake of an almost nonexistent ship. Science is a box in which we stuff reality so that it can be more easily understood, interpreted, and harnessed. Therefore I see Science as a metaphor for everything humans can understand, will understand, and may never understand. Science is understanding and understanding is the fruit of knowledge.

  32. jgtuioij;kbvgf
    Posted June 13, 2010 at 7:39 AM | Permalink | Reply

    the answer is respect what are some qestions.

  33. Posted June 16, 2010 at 9:10 AM | Permalink | Reply

    Everyone is capable to see the beauty of nature through the human eyes

    but science adds a third eye that allows you to see the hidden beauty

    of nature and understanding the mechanism of why nature actually have

    a beauty..!!!

  34. Alfred Hurd
    Posted July 20, 2010 at 10:31 AM | Permalink | Reply

    Actually, science is language, is communication, step by step and, in case of need, microsteps by microsteps, in a self-explanatory manner in explanation of "up-to-date truth" for the purpose that some of the readers can go beyond understanding it on to a level of rectifying it
    time and time again and again .... The understanding process should be frustration free, doing without any 3rd party explanation whenever possible. Everything should be in writing in plain words always subject to easy and instant updating (also to be done in writings.) The scientific education (also other educations) should also be carried out in this simpel and easy way.
    That is science, happening instantly -- everywhere.
    Alfred Hurd, Originator of Instant Learning Method "AHASS"

  35. Alecia
    Posted September 4, 2010 at 2:11 PM | Permalink | Reply

    Why science is important? I think that the real question is where would we be without science? Without it we would be no where near close to where we are today. Science allows people to look at everything through a different perspective, it has helped us with our daily lives, and it has even saved lifes. If we weren't to study science and say it didn't matter... Well, like I said we would be no where near where we are today in technology, medicine, discoveries, or anything like that.

  36. jhauna-gay robinson
    Posted September 16, 2010 at 3:08 AM | Permalink | Reply

    theres one very simple and smart definition.science is a way of life to obtain and discover new things.

  37. Andrew Benecchi
    Posted September 27, 2010 at 2:37 AM | Permalink | Reply

    It teaches us what we came from, or how things work.

  38. Axel Tómasson
    Posted September 29, 2010 at 6:35 AM | Permalink | Reply

    Science is important because:

    It asks questions to answers we don´t know yet.

  39. Sarah Christine
    Posted October 24, 2010 at 10:59 PM | Permalink | Reply

    Okay, but why is science class important? What if I dont want to be a scientist? Why do I need to learn all this?

  40. Bassem Kabesh
    Posted November 19, 2010 at 1:11 AM | Permalink | Reply

    When I answer any question, I always start with the phrase 'I think'. But when it comes to science you can't say I think unless it is a new thing that needs study. You should always say facts in science, (1+1=2) never 3 or for or 0.
    Why science is important?! Science is the only absolute in this life, as it comes with facts, physical facts. Neither religion nor political views ever won in any debates. We still have many believers in different religions; they all think that their God is the good one, while other Gods are the baddy. Politics are no different, the people sometimes elect the socialists then they turn on them to choose the extreme right, because the pension plan wasn't good or may be cause Arsenal beaten Tottenham again. I never undermined politics or religion, believe in what you want, just leave me alone.
    But science is something different; it is always believe of the absolute and apply it to prove it.
    Abbas Ibn Farnas is an Islamic scientist believed in flying, didn't do it very right, his friends thought he lost it, he died trying to fly, people said 'what and idiot man, why he did what he just did, does he think he is a bird, did he actually thought that he could fly when he add wings to his shoulders. Few centuries later the Wright brothers proved his theory right, so I think when he saw the Wright brothers first attempt in flying (obviously from heaven) and they succeeded in it, I think he was laughing at all the people who thought that he lost his mind, probably saying to them 'now who's the idiot, idiots’.
    Not only Abbas or Galileo who died for the sake of science, many did that to prove to others if we want to live in this world we have to use the logic, use our minds and use it right. I never heard that the Blair witches cured the cancer or few religions rituals defeated the HIV or cured the flu. But I know that thanks to an army of scientists, they protected us from much danger in this world. They made a higher life rate, better health and more life adaptation.
    My only things against science, is it became the power of who know and can trade what he/she knows. The HIV/AIDS is a clear and present danger, people are begging for the cure, some people been cured, why? Cause they can afford it, and how about the people who can't, waiting to die any minuet not. Why science is not doing a stronger role in the unfortunate countries, why they don't help killing the starvation, i am sure they can, why they make people suffer.
    May be I am a little romantic person or stupid, but as a science believer, science shouldn't be a power to use against and it must be used as power for all. Power to help people preserve their dignity and self respect, power of not making people give their hands begging for a drink of water that they didn't have for the past 4 days and a piece of bread that they didn't see for a long time.
    Science is important for many many things. Without science we will never know about the ozone crisis or the global warming or any other hidden danger and for that I am grateful to the science and all the people who have this charming power.

  41. Posted December 14, 2010 at 9:58 PM | Permalink | Reply

    i think science is important of we life because we give as more information about values of we life

  42. Lisa Eon
    Posted August 13, 2011 at 7:41 AM | Permalink | Reply

    Science is so important it should be taught by scientists - not liberal wishy washy do gooders teaching our kids that global warming (for instance) is a fact not a theory.

  43. John Perry
    Posted September 6, 2011 at 8:43 AM | Permalink | Reply

    As I get ready to start a new term with a fresh group of PGCE Science students I am about to ask them the question you are asking - "Why is science important?"

    We need an answer to this question that these students can take into school and use at a variety of levels (from Y7 to parents)and in a wide range of contexts ( a physics lesson to a debate around the teaching of science in faith schools). As part of my summer reading I came across this quote which I think is an excellent starting point:

    "Science is an attempt at removing our innate prejudices in order to observe the world as objectively as possible. By teaching us to accept nature for what it is, and not for what our prejudices may suggest that it should be, the scientific method has delivered the modern technological world."

    So perhaps it is about an attitude as much as anything?

  44. Travis Palmer
    Posted September 12, 2011 at 6:24 PM | Permalink | Reply

    Why is science important? Well, for one thing, our current world is based primarily on science. We no long thing "oh, the sun rises because the gods will it so" now we know it doesn't rise at all, we simple turn to face it on our little speck of dust in the cosmos. We know that everything moves down because gravity is pulling us towards earth's core, we know that volcanoes are vents through which the earth releases energy. Without science, we would not understand the world we live in, and it is human nature to seek understanding in all things unknown. Humans always want to know about things, we want to know how, why, what, and all the other questions of the universe. Only with science can we truly answers these questions in a way that satisfies our curiosity, and even then we always want to learn more.

    Another reason for science to be important is that it leads itself to greater sciences. From simple mathematics, we learned how to create computers. From computers, we may learn to create virtual worlds and AI. From that, who knows? By looking at cells, we learned about DNA. From DNA we came to be capable of cloning and altering creatures genetically. By looking into the past to see what had really happened before we came to be, we learned about evolution. By seeing how cells and evolution coexist, we theorized that life could exist all across the universe.

    Humans also seek to control the world around them. Religions give no control, so many went with science, where we can control the world. We learned how to use gravity to build massive buildings, how to explore the world using astrology and how to heal ourselves of disease and injury using biology. Humans seek to control their world, and science has helped us to do that.

    Science is vital because it leads us up towards ever greater things. Human nature is to be the best, and we cannot reach that without science. Thus, science is a vital part of our exist and future. Without it we would have never moved past cave paintings and fire, if we even reached that.

  45. kellyann boucaud
    Posted September 19, 2011 at 2:46 AM | Permalink | Reply

    science is important to me because it makes life easier and better, the world is based mainly on it also.

  46. Simran
    Posted October 7, 2011 at 1:10 AM | Permalink | Reply

    Hello, i am a 13 year old student in Canada, and i finally figured out what science means to me.
    Science gives answers but not full answers. science can never be 100%. science is just our best 'help'. Growing up, ive always thought that science was always the right answer always. that whatever the teacher and text book wrote/said was always true. but now that i am odler and more smarter, i often think Is science 100% true? But obviously it makes our likes way much easier. science separetes truth from mumbo-jumbo. what that means is that all science needs is evidence, proof, hours of investagating to get it right. for instense technology is one of the main parts of science. it is so simple, technology is our future! if it wasnt for technology we wouldnt see all thoose teenagers texting on their phones everyday. and we can do the landury in just about 50 mins, instead of talking a whole day by hand! Now we have fast speeds of internet thats faster the sound! so for making a new technology device it maybe will take years an years. but sciencetists are devoted to make a change and get things right.
    'the sky is not the limit for science'.'lets reach for the stars'science can go much further then launching satelits and rocketshaips into space! science can explore maybe a whole new universe, but only by science.it helps us figure out how gravity works, how fast the world is spinning and if aliens are even exist?

    'science is te true nature around us'
    'truth is better then illusion'
    'in science you think for yourselves'
    'why is science important, tell me why breathing is important'
    'science is with out a doubt amazing, simple as that'
    'science is everything'
    'science, gotta love it.'

    -Simran Bhaghar grade 8 student

  47. Spirit replied to comment from Claus Soerensen
    Posted January 5, 2012 at 2:29 AM | Permalink | Reply

    Hello, I'm going to start off by saying that I think you should read my entire email before reaching any conclusions. Secondly, I'd like to answer the question "Why is science important?" I believe that science is important because it shows us the hand of our Creator. Blindsided you with the fact that a christian is on your page, didn't I? Well, I'm different than all the other anti-science, bible-thumping democrats out there. I'm personally working on something that I think would be of utmost interest to the entire scientific community. Like any good theory it has some lose ends that need tying up, but the bugs are being worked out as we speak. You think it's impossible to rationallize General Relativity and Quantum Mechanics together? I think not. You think that God is just a made-up fairy tale we tell our children at bedtime? I think not. Just because the idea of the existance of a diety preceeds the discovery of electricity does not make it automatically a superstition. This theory on which I am working is called the Divinity Theory. This theory aims to take all knowledge from all valid sources and combine them into one grand window through which to see the world. And what would a scientist be if he wanted to exclude credible data from his hypothesis just because it came from people who didn't know about electricity? The Divinity Theory is hypothetical reasoning, no more far fetched than Darwin's theory of evolution, which the scientific community seems to have accepted as fact. The evidence can be presented and the logic supported. If anyone who is reading this would like more information, please contact me at wcstanley21@gmail.com with your questions. I'd love to hear the input of the world on my theories, and possibly get some help perfecting them. My identity cannot be revealed over the internet for security reasons (I'm sure you understand), so when writing you may refer to me as Spirit. I thank you for your time, and I welcome your emails.

    Sincerely, Spirit

  48. Posted February 10, 2012 at 10:23 AM | Permalink | Reply

    science is important because it is has the answer to our many questions and by science, we learn and discover lots of things just like gadgets,medicines and appliances science is needed by doing this things possible

  49. MAUCH
    Posted May 7, 2012 at 3:45 PM | Permalink | Reply

    The primary thing that the lay person can learn from science is that in reality we all have great difficulty in gaining a truly accurate understanding of the world in which they live. If we take the lazy option of trying to understand the world through intuition and superstition we will be fooled. Thankfully disciplined scientific inquiry will allow us to gain a much truer understanding. It is a fouls folly for us to deny this crucially important tool to understanding.

  50. Posted September 4, 2012 at 1:36 AM | Permalink | Reply

    Science is important because it is everywhere. It is who we are, what we are made of, and where we live in. Science sparks awe and curiosity within us. It evokes the whys and the hows, which lead to critical and creative thinking. It discovers universal laws and finds ways to conquer them. It produces marvelous inventions that allow man to land on the moon, send and receive information to someone halfway across the world in a split second, or safely examine the insides of the human body through non-invasive methods such as magnetic resonance imaging.

    Science makes the impossible possible.

  51. Roger Walker
    Posted September 23, 2012 at 4:34 AM | Permalink | Reply

    I studied languages and the humanities… a long time ago. I’m 65 now and over the last quarter of a century or so I’ve learnt much, much more about science than I did at school; much more even than I could have learnt at school. I’ve become a prime example of the sort of guy you people write for: the intelligent and knowledgeable layman. And as such I am (like another of your recent contributors) desperately saddened by the fact that the question needs to be asked at all.

    In my view, science is important, first and foremost, not as a means of understanding all the gadgetry of the world around us, but because of the beautiful, ruthless simplicity of the scientific method: if your theoretical results don’t match the experimental data, then your theory is wrong; if they do, it might be right. Subsequently, if lots of other people repeat your experiment and confirm the results, your theory (actually a hypothesis up till then) can be confirmed as valid; and from that point on it must be recognised as representing at least a part of the truth. But there is an unstated rider: …unless and until contradictory evidence emerges.

    And therein lies the ultimate, essential modesty of the scientific method. Darwin’s “On The Origin Of Species” has been around for a long time and no contradictory evidence has yet come to light, but in scientific parlance it is still “only” a theory. A single rabbit fossil out of the Devonian would be enough to blow it out of the water. However, until that rabbit comes to light, Evolution remains the best, indeed the only logical way of explaining the observed data; and denigrating it is perverse.

    This is, if you like, a long-winded way of saying we should be unhesitatingly dismissive of policies which are not “evidence-based”. But that much abused epithet is being eroded in the minds of the general public through cynical manipulation by people who ought to know better. An understanding of the scientific method equips us to make better judgments on the many and various messages that are aimed at us. Distinguishing evidence-based from money-based from faith-based and other baloney is so much more important than knowing how a SIM card works.

  52. John Lee-Edghill
    Posted September 26, 2012 at 12:12 PM | Permalink | Reply

    Science is important because we are surrounded with information of questionable providence from so called experts, spokespeople, politicians, media presenters etc. The only way we can possibly filter this information to discover what is important, what is true and what is useful is to have an understanding of science and an enquiring and critical mind.

  53. Posted October 15, 2012 at 11:19 PM | Permalink | Reply

    WHY I THINK SCIENCE IS IMPORTANT/is because it i like a path when you goto to the wrong path it suddenly puts you to the right path.

  54. Jason Gray
    Posted November 7, 2012 at 6:39 PM | Permalink | Reply

    Simply speaking, the answers to any question can be explained by an elegant combination of the foundational categories that make up the word 'science'. Moreover, and more importantly, science provides us with templates and frameworks for thinking about those unanswered questions that encompass and threaten or enhance our everyday life as a living organism.

  55. Posted December 29, 2012 at 6:18 PM | Permalink | Reply

    Excellent way of describing, and pleasant article to
    obtain data about my presentation subject matter, which i am going to deliver in institution
    of higher education.

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