My degrees are in Natural Science and Mathematics. I work in business finance.
If you consider many of the major issues facing democracies today, a significant amount of them require some understanding of science and how it works to be able to consider the issues reasonably. So yes, as an obligation to a democracy, EVERY CITIZEN needs to “adopt” some science orientation. It’s optional ONLY IF someone is choosing to be an irresponsible citizen - which they have a right to do.
So in closing, your “feeling good”, along with your responsibilities to your neighbors, DOES depend on you having some understanding of science.
BTW, although mathematics and science are my background, I read and teach philosophy, I got my undergrad from a liberal arts college, and am very supportive of the arts - my son is in music for example. I have a responsibility to those things, just as other citizens have a responsibility to science.
Hi, kbachler,
Neither of us are entitled to an education. Education, whether school, self educated, street education, vocational and etc are not entitlements. Some kind of education is essential for a civilized citizenry. However, the all arts and sciences educated person was last seen in the Eighteenth Century. There’s just too much knowledge available, to learn it all.
And, all these different kinds of education must remain available, for us to have a free society. And, people with one kind of education must start respecting people with a different kind of education. This respect of variety is much better than the existing tolerance of diversity.
You seem a sincere idealist.
Once, there was a successful business man who seemed on top of everything in his sphere of endeavor, he had any kind of detailed information you could think of. When asked his secret, he showed the interviewer a panel on his desk with several buttons, and a label for each button. There were labels for many different details of his business endeavor. He told the interviewer, “These buttons put me in touch with specialists in each of these fields. I can hire knowledge.”
Or, something like that.
So, sir or madam, I submit that the responsible citizen needs only access to well informed people, to vote responsibly. And, that fills our obligation to be literate in this or that: religion, history, science, law, medicine, politics, education and etc.
The viewpoint of the educated voter that you present looks to me like a hindrance to responsible voters who have access to different specialists in their field. That viewpoint comes across as a didactic strategy to keep people from voting, so that the users of this elitist strategy can have their way. Which is just as dangerous to us at large as any ignorant person seems to you.
You may not realize it, but the viewpoint you have adopted presents you as one of those elitists.
In a free nation, each citizen’s first responsibility is to the
whole truth: religious, historical, scientific, legal, medical, political, educational and etc. That way, we will not mutely give away our rights and freedoms to any demagogue which may come along. For example, our present president shows all the earmarks of a great demagogue.
God loves you,
Don
