Science on the witness stand
It's unusual for expert scientists to be called upon to give a full and complete explanation of an entire branch of human knowledge which is understandable by and intended for a non-expert. This is exactly what happened in the Dover intelligent design court case. Plaintiffs' strategy was to invite a series of scientists into the courtroom to explain science to the presiding judge. Over the course of three weeks, the courtroom turned into a college-level science classroom, team taught from the witness stand by a biology textbook author, a paleontologist, a geneticist, and an assortment of experts on selected topics. These expert witnesses explained the theory of evolution, the mechanism of natural selection, and how these theories are supported by the modern study of genetics.
The story is in this week's NOVA, Judgement Day: Intelligent Design on Trial.
For the non-experts who attended the trial, one of the most significant experiences was in learning just how much knowledge science had uncovered. The forefronts of human knowledge aren't usually exposed to the average person, and many of the trial attendees found themselves literally amazed at the detailed understanding of the natural world that our experts have built up over the decades. Biologists don't just have an explanation of how species come into existence; they have whole stories to tell. One of the witnesses has spent much of his entire life studying the bacterial flagellum, and was able to answer questions about its structure and function, and its relationship with other bacterial cell structures, in exquisite detail.
I wish scientists would come out of their laboratories more often to tell the stories they've unearthed. Most people, I think, are uninterested in science because it hasn't been presented to them in an interesting and compelling way. Maybe, instead of starting with the boring basics and losing people for good before seventh grade, we ought to be telling the most compelling and amazing stories we can find. Then maybe the students will ask "How do we know that?" instead of being told to ask.
The story is in this week's NOVA, Judgement Day: Intelligent Design on Trial.
For the non-experts who attended the trial, one of the most significant experiences was in learning just how much knowledge science had uncovered. The forefronts of human knowledge aren't usually exposed to the average person, and many of the trial attendees found themselves literally amazed at the detailed understanding of the natural world that our experts have built up over the decades. Biologists don't just have an explanation of how species come into existence; they have whole stories to tell. One of the witnesses has spent much of his entire life studying the bacterial flagellum, and was able to answer questions about its structure and function, and its relationship with other bacterial cell structures, in exquisite detail.
I wish scientists would come out of their laboratories more often to tell the stories they've unearthed. Most people, I think, are uninterested in science because it hasn't been presented to them in an interesting and compelling way. Maybe, instead of starting with the boring basics and losing people for good before seventh grade, we ought to be telling the most compelling and amazing stories we can find. Then maybe the students will ask "How do we know that?" instead of being told to ask.