At present, information is paramount in most areas of life, and learning to observe things from a critical perspective is essential. For instance, Annie Murphy Paul (2012) states that the scientist’s gaze is different from a casual observation in terms of attention and analysis. It is easier to take information from the news for granted; however, when you look deeper into the subject, you uncover many inconvenient truths. Understanding the natural sciences is vital for me since I want to discern the truth concerning various topics. Concerning my personal experience, over the last several years, I constantly hear that climate change is “overrated” various politicians and businessmen trying to persuade people against sustainable development. In such cases, I believe scientific expertise can help you to distinguish lies from the truth and act with responsibility.
For the same reason, it is essential to have informed citizens with developed critical thinking. In my community in the city of Longview, I believe we are relatively willing to ignore relevant social and environmental issues. As an example, I occasionally hear that climate change will not concern us during our lifetimes, and there is no need to care about it. However, if you apply the scientific lens to this event, you understand the gravity of the problem, and that humanity is doomed if we do not act with responsibility. I believe that such initiatives as UNESCO development programs to make science more accessible are excellent instruments to make a positive change in society and local communities (UNESCO, n.d.). Ultimately, I think it is crucial to educate young people about the importance of staying scientifically informed in the rapidly changing world.
I believe that scientifically literate people have a greater impact on the development of society since they understand the gravity of global problems. For instance, Jonathan Foley describes the agricultural crisis, explaining that population growth combined with climate change will lead to inevitable problems (TEDxTC, 2010). In my opinion, global corporations would always chase profits and tend to the preferences of regular people. Therefore, if ordinary customers become more scientifically literate and understand the importance of sustainable development, the demand for unsustainable products would decrease. In turn, regular people would have a more substantial impact on corporations which are the primary causes of climate change and other global issues.
References
Paul, A. M. (2012). How to increase your powers of observation. Time. Web.
TEDxTC. (2010). The other inconvenient truth. Web.
UNESCO. (n.d.). Natural sciences: Science for sustainable future. Web.