How right Dr Baron is (October 2003, JRSM1): the public does need to be more informed about science. C P Snow wrote of the two cultures 'which are for the most part expressed in two languages'.2 Each science has its own language, sometimes called jargon; without these special languages, academic study and accumulation of knowledge would be impossible. Some individuals have exceptional ability to explain scientific ideas in everyday language but this does not do away with the need for the languages of science. One frequently hears today of changing hearts and minds, but the heart is merely a pumping organ and mind a collective noun for many different brain functions. Words such as seeing, memory and emotion describe not single entities but complex cerebral functions. In trying to keep track of developments the public needs to be aware of cultural and language differences and to recognize that, in the phase of problem-solving, scientists may themselves be divided.
References
- 1.Baron JH. What should the citizen know about 'science'? J R Soc Med 2003;96: 509-11 [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 2.Snow CP. The Two Cultures and the Scientific Revolution. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1959