Quote:
Originally Posted by The Lone Ranger
I've written about this before, but one problem with modern science is that in order to become established in your field, you have to do original research. But most fields of science are so specialized nowadays that in order to make an original contribution, you have to focus yourself so narrowly that you tend to lose sight of other branches of science.
So, what happens is that most professional scientists work in semi-isolation, and are often shockingly ignorant of anything outside their own very specialized fields. Far too many working scientists lack a "big picture" perspective, in my opinion.
That's one of the reasons that I think that people like Tyson perform such a valuable service. Even scientists sometimes need to be reminded that the natural sciences are an integrated whole sharing a common methodology, and that insights from one field of science can often shed light on seemingly-unrelated fields.
For instance, many biologists could benefit from a better understanding of how physical constraints shape the evolution of plants and animals, I think.
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In one episode of Cosmos Carl Sagan spoke of the ancient Greeks who were making great advances in learning of science and math, till certain groups decided that such knowledge was too important for general consumption. These became secret societies where only the most elite were privy to the highest knowledge. This had the effect of stifeling development since good minds were not always allowed to start from the highest level of learning but often had to start from the begining on their own. One would hope that on important subjects there would be a willingness to share what is known but sometimes something as simple as unfamiliar jargon keeps many out of the know.
Several years ago I owned a Hobby shop and sold powered model airplanes. The old school fliers would insist that a newcomer start with control line flying and graduate to radio control. It was just a bit silly as there was little that translated from one to he other. It was just an establishement of a hierarchy where the old timers could be in control. Certainly a student must learn the basics before learning the advanced knowledge, but the advanced knowledge should not be held in secret till the student is "worthy to receive it".