the real problem in society is not
whether we’re teaching our kids enough
science because let’s say we started
that tomorrow does that mean
everything’s ok if we teach the 13 year
old better STEM education to have a
better stem teacher am I going to wait
40 years for that kid to become
president to it and or member of
Congress so that we now have a
scientifically literate country no I’m
not I’m not that patient for me the real
challenge the real problem are
scientifically illiterate adults adults
are in charge there are five times as
many adults as there are kids in this
country the adults wield resources
adults vote they’ll tell me well let’s
fix the kids and everything will be fine
fix the adults then the kids will be
fine my field astrophysics
may be at this point the only academic
field where what I do is not counted
against me at worst it’s just neutral
many other fields of science spending
your time that you might have been in
the lab talking to the public going on
nighttime talk shows going on comedic
nighttime talk shows is viewed as a as a
as a as a violation of the contract
between you and your lab experiment
I carried two titles I’m a research
associate in our Department of
astrophysics at the American Museum of
Natural History in New York I’m also
director of the Hayden Planetarium and
in that capacity it is fully expected by
everyone around that I would be talking
to the public but more important Carl
Sagan basically did this first there’s
spotty examples that preceded him but he
did it in the biggest most significant
way and he cleared a field and there’s
blood on that field he was not warmly
received by these activities what you’re
going to be on The Tonight Show
that’s isn’t that comedy but you’re a
scientist maybe you’re not a serious
scientist then there’s scientific
cultural pressure against it at the time
but then what do we notice in my field
that members of Congress would be ready
to vote on some budget and say wait a
minute isn’t that on a space mission
that I’ve heard about I saw Carl Sagan
talk about that is that what you might
you’re my constituent is that what you
were telling yeah oh my gosh let’s do it
and all of a sudden the tide waters rose
for science funding members of Congress
came to embrace the methods and tools of
science and the fruits of its discovery
if you feel strongly about your
religious philosophies I will have
nothing to say about it
unless you want to change the curriculum
in a science classroom and I would ask
you I won’t fight you I will ask you why
there’s no tradition of scientists
knocking down the sunday-school door
telling the preacher what to teach that
is never a theist don’t even do that
there is no scientist or atheist
picketing outside of your church or
synagogue or mosque you know that might
not necessarily be true there is no such
tradition so what is the motivation to
try to take a religious philosophy and
influence what goes on in science you
can get up enough people to influence
school board okay again I’m an educator
so I’m here to tell you the consequence
of that if you substitute religious
philosophy for science there will be a
generation of people who will not
understand what science is and they will
be intellectually crippled from
contributing to what the centuries have
demonstrated to be the most efficient
engine of economic growth that has ever
been devised and that is innovations in
science and technology
whether we’re teaching our kids enough
science because let’s say we started
that tomorrow does that mean
everything’s ok if we teach the 13 year
old better STEM education to have a
better stem teacher am I going to wait
40 years for that kid to become
president to it and or member of
Congress so that we now have a
scientifically literate country no I’m
not I’m not that patient for me the real
challenge the real problem are
scientifically illiterate adults adults
are in charge there are five times as
many adults as there are kids in this
country the adults wield resources
adults vote they’ll tell me well let’s
fix the kids and everything will be fine
fix the adults then the kids will be
fine my field astrophysics
may be at this point the only academic
field where what I do is not counted
against me at worst it’s just neutral
many other fields of science spending
your time that you might have been in
the lab talking to the public going on
nighttime talk shows going on comedic
nighttime talk shows is viewed as a as a
as a as a violation of the contract
between you and your lab experiment
I carried two titles I’m a research
associate in our Department of
astrophysics at the American Museum of
Natural History in New York I’m also
director of the Hayden Planetarium and
in that capacity it is fully expected by
everyone around that I would be talking
to the public but more important Carl
Sagan basically did this first there’s
spotty examples that preceded him but he
did it in the biggest most significant
way and he cleared a field and there’s
blood on that field he was not warmly
received by these activities what you’re
going to be on The Tonight Show
that’s isn’t that comedy but you’re a
scientist maybe you’re not a serious
scientist then there’s scientific
cultural pressure against it at the time
but then what do we notice in my field
that members of Congress would be ready
to vote on some budget and say wait a
minute isn’t that on a space mission
that I’ve heard about I saw Carl Sagan
talk about that is that what you might
you’re my constituent is that what you
were telling yeah oh my gosh let’s do it
and all of a sudden the tide waters rose
for science funding members of Congress
came to embrace the methods and tools of
science and the fruits of its discovery
if you feel strongly about your
religious philosophies I will have
nothing to say about it
unless you want to change the curriculum
in a science classroom and I would ask
you I won’t fight you I will ask you why
there’s no tradition of scientists
knocking down the sunday-school door
telling the preacher what to teach that
is never a theist don’t even do that
there is no scientist or atheist
picketing outside of your church or
synagogue or mosque you know that might
not necessarily be true there is no such
tradition so what is the motivation to
try to take a religious philosophy and
influence what goes on in science you
can get up enough people to influence
school board okay again I’m an educator
so I’m here to tell you the consequence
of that if you substitute religious
philosophy for science there will be a
generation of people who will not
understand what science is and they will
be intellectually crippled from
contributing to what the centuries have
demonstrated to be the most efficient
engine of economic growth that has ever
been devised and that is innovations in
science and technology
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