Telling Stories for Science: Shackleton Style
The great American scientist Carl Sagan once remarked ‘ If we teach only the findings and products of science — no matter how useful and inspiring they may be — without communicating its critical method , how can the average person possibly distinguish science from pseudoscience ? ’ Forty years after these words were penned , Sagan ’ s concern could not be more prescient . We live in an age where ‘ alternative facts ’ are fast becoming a defendable point of view , where expert opinion is now routinely considered as just one point of view . There is clearly a need for a more scientifically literate society, one better versed in critical thinking. But the prognosis is not positive. Across the Western World, countries like the USA , UK and Australia , report an alarming fall in the number of students taking science, technology, engineering and mathematics – the so-called STEM subjects. Sadly, multibillion dollar budget ...