Research & Science — and bildung
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Part of bildung in the modern world is to understand science and to have a sense of what is scientific facts, what is a qualified hypothesis, what is personal opinion, what is beliefs, and where is the boundary of one’s knowledge. One should also understand some of the basics of the scientific process and inquiry, and how to distinguish guesswork and wishful thinking from peer reviewed facts. One does not need to understand all sciences or to be a scientist to have bildung, but the empowered citizen knows enough about science to be able to understand what a researcher says when they are, say, interviewed on television or write an opinion piece in a newspaper. Science is at the core of the technological development and we cannot be critical citizens if we do not have some level of understanding of science. Hence, we need to teach science well in order for all of us to have bildung.
In the field of bildung itself, there is also research and science into bildung itself. Science studies how we learn, how we engage with knowledge, how we grow morally and emotionally through life, how we become responsible adults, and how we develop the capability of social interaction and good judgement.
Bildung is both a topic of scientific inquiry and a path towards a critical understanding and application of science, therefore research and science are combined as an entry on this bildung blog: https://medium.com/bildung.
