📘 Part 3: Science

This episode's vocabulary

Relevant (adj.) - connected with what is happening or being discussed.

Association (noun) - a feeling or thought that relates to someone or something.

Disparate (adj.) - different in every way.

To put someone off (something) (phrasal verb) - to take someone's attention away from what they want to be doing or should be doing.

Outlook (noun) - a person's way of understanding and thinking about something.

Prima facie (adj.) - at first sight (= based on what seems to be the truth when first seen or heard).

Literate (adj.) - having knowledge of a particular subject, or a particular type of knowledge.

Breakthrough (noun) - an important discovery or event that helps to improve a situation or provide an answer to a problem.

Detrimental (adj.) - causing harm or damage.

Prestige (noun) - respect and admiration given to someone or something, usually because of a reputation for high quality, success, or social influence.

Questions and Answers

M: Is it important to study science at school?

R: That's an interesting question. I used to think it wasn't since understanding maths and language seems more important and relevant to most people. But science allows us to see the knowledge and skills connected to maths and language in action and make connections as well. Assuming it's taught well, of course.

M: Why don't children like learning science at school?

R: Well, you'd probably have to ask them. But if I were to guess I'd say they have some kind of negative association with the subject or fail to see the relevance. It could be it's just never been explained well to them. And all they see is a bunch of disparate facts with no meaning that would be enough to put anyone off.

M: Which science subject is the most important for children to learn?

R: Well, that depends entirely on their outlook on life. I mean, biology does a good job bringing together things that are connected with how we function as people, while physics is like applied maths. And it's also useful for working out how to use it in real life. Chemistry... Well, that's a hard one to say the prima facie value of. So maybe not that one. But for the other two, you can see the value straight away.

M: Should people continue to study science after finishing school?

R: Well, if they want to out of interest or wanting a career in it. Why not? It's part to say what will be useful in the future. But we will need people to develop solutions to problems and try to understand those solutions and the problems. So being science literate will be helpful.

M: How do people get to know about scientific news?

R: I think most people rely on the regular news to find out about breakthroughs. But there's a number of scientific journals and magazines they could sign up to with relative ease. And I think most news sites now also have a science-specific section.

M: Should scientists explain the research process to the public?

R: Assuming it's not detrimental to national security, then why not? Especially if public money is being used, then people almost have a right to know if they want to.

M: Can science change our society?

R: Well, I mean, the obvious answer is yes. But it's not just because the discovery made. Actually, I just finished reading a book that highlighted key features behind social change and technology. And some of them included having a, or at least the discovery, having a relative economic advantage, prestige value, and the support of vested interests and the resources to sustain the use of the technology. So if all of those are in place, then change can happen. But it can fade fast if those factors disappear.

M: Which is more important, science or social studies?

R: Well, I think they're of equal value since one is about understanding the world which we live in. So that's important. And the other is about understanding people who we share the world with. So that's also rather crucial. I mean, if you had one without the other, then things would be pointless.

M: And do you think science will be more popular in the future?

R: I think it will probably just grow proportionally. So, as the population increases, there'll be a greater number of people and of them on average, the same number would be interested.

M: Thank you, Rory!