The Importance of Scientific Literacy

For the past couple weeks now, I’ve discussed various issues concerning scientific illiteracy. I’ve condemned the politicization of science, I’ve pointed out some flaws in our education system, but I haven’t explained why this all matters. Why should we even care about whether or not our citizens are scientifically literate? What is scientific literacy anyway? I think that now is a good time to stop and consider why this topic is so important to any modern society. After all, it’s difficult to care about something if you’re not even sure why you should in the first place.

In essence, scientific literacy is the understanding of scientific concepts necessary for decision making in political, economic, and personal affairs. In other words, it is the ability to apply what you have learned from your scientific education to areas outside of academia.

That’s not to say, however, that your understanding of photosynthesis is somehow related to your ability to chose a presidential candidate or how to do your taxes. No, the goal of scientific education is to produce a more informed population that is capable of thinking critically and digging deeper to find the truth. That’s the whole point of science: finding the truth.

So while learning how to balance an equation probably won’t directly benefit you at any point after you graduate, science is still important in that it teaches you to appreciate the process instead of accepting things at face value. A thorough scientific education will help you better understand the world around us and apply the indirect lessons you learned from class to your outside life. Will you be quizzed on what specific cells fight pathogens in the future? Probably not, but you will need to understand why it’s important to get vaccinated and why you need to take your antibiotics exactly as directed. Will you be asked how chlorofluorocarbons negatively affect our atmosphere? No, but it’s still important to know that we need to take better care of our environment.

The point is, being scientifically literate is necessary for having a well-informed society. Having an educated population means that consumers are more likely to make responsible decisions in what they purchase, politicians are more aware of how certain policies can affect the environment, and patients understand how their medication can both help and harm people other than themselves. A strong scientific foundation is necessary for progress, and that can more easily be achieved with an informed citizenry.

Practicality aside, however, science is simply one of those things that we need to lift us out of our ignorance. I understand that not everyone will go on to be researchers, but it is still important for us to have this knowledge of the world around us. In the same way that the arts are vital to our society’s culture, science allows us to appreciate the natural world and is similarly necessary to building our understanding. Science is not the enemy; science helps us understand the unknown, and that something worth knowing.