I have long been lurking on these conversations - and am suddenly inspired
to write!
Andy, Ea wrote:
> The way that scientists view the public is critical. For too long, we have
> lived with the mantra that scientists are members of the public, just like
> anyone else. In a pedantic sense this is true, but it is not a useful
> concept. Scientists take a different attitude to science from many other
> people. It's because they are more knowledgeable and because they play the
> game differently.

I have been teaching adults - the general public - in a variety of
science-based courses (environmental) for ten years since leaving the Soil
Survey.

I have to disagree with Andy - yea even accuse him of a degree of arrogance
on the above.  I don't claim to be an ace scientist, but I certainly AM one,
and I frequently find that the people I teach - with or without scientific
backgrounds - are more knowledgeable - in a general sense than I am.  You
don't have to be a scientist to be "knowledgeable" and some of the best
insights come through the lateral routes provided by thinkers approaching
science from different angles.  I also believe that it is of more than
pedantic value to take on board that scientists are "the public" too.  There
is almost as much heterogeneity in the views, aspirations, politics,
religious beliefs etc. of scientists as there is in any other population.

In teaching and learning it is not helpful to take the attitude of superior
knowledge - naturally, the teacher needs to know more about the subject than
the pupils - but, as anyone teaching adults will agree (won't they!), the
teacher learns at the same time - this is trebly so in Adult/continuing
Education, where the students are sparky, interested, and not afraid to ask
all those awkward questions.

In Aberystwyth at least, the "general public" never ceases to amaze me.

Richard Hartnup



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