Why Science Matters
Why science makes a difference in one’s life and career
Let me preface this essay with a little about how science has been an integral part of my life. My infatuation with science began ever since my father taught me about the planetary system when I was 8 years old. Being a young mind, I could go on for hours reading up on astronomy and was hooked. The world seemed vast, the universe ever more so. I found solace in those moments, letting my mind drift into infinity. Fast forward a decade, and I got admission to a premier technical institution, pursuing my lifelong passion for science.
Post a major in engineering, today I recognize and even appreciate how intertwined science has been with every aspect of my life. The pursuit of science is undoubtedly a noble cause, however, it gets lost in translation among the socio-economic dynamics of our ever-changing world, to the point where the essence of it gets blurry inside a young mind. My aim with this essay is to explain how science plays an integral part in a person’s cognitive development and is an almost unmistakable benchmark for academic excellence.
What is Science?
Before moving any further, it’s crucial to understand what science fundamentally means. In its most basic sense, science is the absolute pursuit of truth. Truth is objective, rational, and irrevocably powerful in its essence; everything that science is. It is because science is a study of truth that it is invaluable and lies at the core of our development as a race, and is what’ll serve to be the backbone of our future aspirations.
Science, of course, is an umbrella term to denote a collection of varied and multidisciplinary pursuits, and in theory, the set containing the elements of science is an infinite one since its dynamic and ever-changing.
Science and History — A Tale of Love
I’d like to suggest an experiment here. Grab whatever is closest to you. A pen, notebook, remote, or even your smartphone. Examine it closely. You’ll realize that the object you’re holding is a product of thousands of years of scientific pursuit. Looking back at civilization today, it’s evident how scientific progress has been a defining characteristic of humankind.
I’ll use an example here. Let’s go back to the Stone Age. An early human feels a shiver run down his spine. He’s desperate to protect himself against the cold. He decides to go out and collect some wood. At this point, his desperation is serving as a proxy for the intrinsic curiosity in him. He knows that rubbing his hands together generates heat. It’s here that his scientific compass aligns and he decides to rub the wooden sticks in a similar fashion. Thus emerges one of the fundamental elements of human existence; fire.
There are a plethora of such examples spread across human history. Be it, Aristotle, in ancient Greece, Leonardo Da Vinci during the Renaissance, or Alexander Graham Bell during the industrial revolution, the pursuit of science has inevitably been a part of the greatest leaps in human history. However, not all has been rosy in the scientific world. Science has also led to creating an outlet for the evil in this world. Science has been put to use in creating weapons of mass destruction and suffering. The later years of World War I saw widespread use of biological weapons, specifically designed to disintegrate a human into a void. A similar trend followed in World War II where largescale naval and air combats took place, using some of the deadliest weapons in human history. The infamous Hiroshima and Nagasaki incident shook the world with the brutality and sheer destruction and loss of life that scientific progress had cost.
Furthermore, in India, the pursuit of science has historically been looked at with reverence, perhaps more so than other disciplines. This has been for the simple reason that engineers, doctors, and other professionals with a scientific background have played an integral part in developing India post its independence. However, a flip side to this has been a general distaste towards other disciplines in Indian households, which has led to a society of forced occupations and dull minds; something I find fallacious and rather insidious towards the long-term growth of the scientific community.
The examples I’ve used here are to suggest that whether in a positive light or not, science has been unconditionally intertwined with history and everything humankind has created or destroyed to this day. This realization needs to sink in because only then can one realize the gravitas of scientific endeavors in one’s life.
Science and You
Now that I’ve explained what science is, and a bit about its history, let’s understand how science is tangibly or intangibly indispensable to all of us in our lives and careers. It’s a common myth that there is something innately distinctive called “science” from the other disciplines. It may seem to be the case prima facie, but this is a fallacy. Going back to the definition of science I proposed, it is the absolute pursuit of truth. The idea of truth is prevalent in every nook and cranny of the universe, and as such, is innately present in any discipline we please. Whether it’s archaeology, history, accountancy, or psychology, an insatiable thirst for truth is what drives innovation and excellence.
In the common lingo, science is a proxy for equations, numbers, and theories. It’s often claimed that scientific education is at fault since most of the theories involved are obscure and not relevant vis-à-vis our daily endeavors. However, this again is a fallacy. Granted, specific disciplines in science engage their readers with theories and ideas that may be obscure to a layman (say special relativity suggested by Albert Einstein), however, that isn’t what scientific education is fundamentally about.
Scientific education primarily aims to develop the cognitive and analytical abilities of an individual. Why are these necessary? Because we humans need to be able to make sense of the world around us, and our analytical and cognitive functionalities aid us in doing so. A foundation of logic is indispensable for an individual to be able to undertake tasks, both personally and professionally, which is what scientific education is predicated upon.
Professionally speaking, certain professions don’t require extensive scientific deliberation prima facie. Case in point, professional photography. However, a photographer needs to know the fundamentals of illumination, composition, and optics to be able to create a perfect shot encapsulating the emotions he or she desires. All of these ideas are predicated on a strong foundation of logic and mathematics and hence are intrinsically linked to science. Also, consider a musician. Even though music doesn’t seem to be a discipline that expects scientific proficiency prima facie, but requires extensive study of acoustics in order to create the perfect sound out of an instrument. Similarly, singers need to understand vocal tonality and vibrations to be able to understand and react to an auditory stimulus (such as their accompanying musician).
This is not to imply that a musician must learn calculus to be able to succeed in his or her career. This is rather to imply that even the most seemingly non-scientific disciplines incorporate multiple scientific elements and are built on a foundation of logical proficiency. Hence, actively indulging in scientific activities and developing a knack for logical thinking can be of utmost help, irrespective of the profession one’s in.
A Need for Scientific Affinity
Today, there’s an ever-increasing requirement for critical thinkers. Professionals who can dip their toes in alien waters, adapt, brainstorm, and come up with creative, out-of-the-box solutions. In other words, professionals who’re seekers of truth.
Unfortunately, we live in a day and age where several young adults and children have developed a repugnant attitude towards science. At a time when the need for scientific affinity is at its peak, it’s the need of the hour to inculcate a sense of thrill in the pursuit of science; to free one from the shackles of science textbooks, and experience what science is really about.
As an engineer and a science enthusiast, I intend to do my best to encourage both youngsters and adults to engage in science and develop their faculties so that both our country and the world at large can become a theatre for truth-seekers, creating what we call utopia in the process.
