ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
*****************************************************************************

The only problem with science as knowledge is that it is constantly 
changing. There is no there, there. This is the problem which Kuhn 
grappled with in "The Structure of Scientific Revolutions." In some ways 
knowledge actually slows science down.  The agility of science as a 
process depends on how easily we can discard old ideas in favor of new 
evidence. Obviously that new evidence needs old knowledge to contrast 
with (or build on, or modify), but too much focus on "facts" gets 
science into trouble. Natural selection is important not because of all 
the "facts" about living things (or evidence of formerly living things) 
we accumulate, but rather how elegant it is as a process for change and 
adaptation and how universally applicable it is to living systems from 
intracellular metabolic processes up to clades and beyond.  If we 
accomplish nothing as science educators as far as the facts of science, 
but teach our kids to think critically, be skeptical without evidence, 
inquire deeply, and understand the process of science, then we have, in 
my estimation, accomplished our work.

Clifford Wagner wrote:
> ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
> Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related 
> institutions.
> ***************************************************************************** 
>
>
> Jared Diamond in "Collapse"  gave a nice definition: “Science is 
> reliable knowledge about our world”
> I brought this up with Hooley McLaughlin last year when we were doing 
> the prep work for our ASTC session ""Gutless no More- What exhibits 
> science centers should be doing" and Hooley disagreed. “ Science is a 
> process, it is not knowledge.”  So modifying the statement for 
> Hooley's point makes it:
> Science is the acquisition of reliable knowledge about our world.
>
> But I have to disagree with Hooley and told him so then;  I think that 
> science is both the process and the knowledge.  The point of science 
> IS the knowledge, specifically the knowledge of knowing what is 
> happening now so we can guide our labors in the future.  For isn't the 
> most fundamental role of science is the improving the quality of human 
> life?   Knowing what is happening so that we have the resources we 
> need to live well cannot be a game of chance.  We need reliable 
> knowledge and the process of science gives it to us.
> For example, the science of farming is knowing what to plant in what 
> soil, when it is going to come up and how to harvest it and cook it.   
> The process of figuring out that knowledge base was done a long, long 
> time ago, but we can still refer to it as a science, the science of 
> farming.
>
> The fact that we have more knowledge than ever is really something to 
> celebrate.
> The problems that we face on this planet have to do with applying that 
> knowledge to guide our endeavours.  Think global warming or the 
> depletion of oil.  We know these are happening.  The way to deal with 
> them is to choose wisely what we manufacture now.  I personally cringe 
> at every high horsepower heavy vehicle we continue to produce, knowing 
> what we know today, that our vehicles and our farm machinery run out 
> of oil within our own lifetimes, and that global warming is changing 
> the parameters of every single ecosystem we've got.  We can and should 
> apply the science we know to these problems to solve them.  We still 
> want transportation, so our society doesn't collapse, so all of us in 
> society can get to the jobs we are all specialists at, so we can get 
> our food, so we can enjoy our culture, including science centers.   
> We've got to act now.  Yes, do help define science for 7 and under, 
> but also for all of us.
>
> Science is central to the quality of our lives, through the 
> application of science-based (reliable) knowledge to the actions we take.
>
> Central to this particular discussion is what is the role of our 
> science centers?  If we are going to be more than just entertainment 
> centers we need to attempt such things as clearly defining science and 
> its role for all of our human society.
>
> ***********************************************************************
> More information about the Informal Science Education Network and the
> Association of Science-Technology Centers may be found at 
> http://www.astc.org.
> To remove your e-mail address from the ISEN-ASTC-L list, send the
> message  SIGNOFF ISEN-ASTC-L in the BODY of a message to
> [log in to unmask]
>


-- 
Stephen Miles Uzzo
Director of Technology
New York Hall of Science
47-01 111th Street
Flushing Meadows Corona Park
New York 11368     U.S.A.
v. +1.718.699.0005 x377
f. +1.718.699.1341
http://www.nyscience.org

***********************************************************************
More information about the Informal Science Education Network and the
Association of Science-Technology Centers may be found at http://www.astc.org.
To remove your e-mail address from the ISEN-ASTC-L list, send the
message  SIGNOFF ISEN-ASTC-L in the BODY of a message to
[log in to unmask]