Scientific Phenomena
On the grounds of the Air Force Academy, there is a monument to knowledge. It is a statue of an eagle and with an inscription in the base. It reads, “Man’s Flight Through Life is Sustained by the Power of his Knowledge.” This simple and profound statement is a testimony to the idea that in order for each of us to grow and develop during our lives, we must strive to gain knowledge of all sorts. This is especially true of what we call scientific knowledge.
Let’s be clear, scientific knowledge is not just for scientists with advanced degrees. It is for all of us. Some may be able to grasp the science quicker than others because of greater time spent in its study. However, to the extent we can grasp it, we owe it to ourselves to try to understand it and assimilate its implications. If we simply avoid scientific knowledge because we think it is too difficult to understand, we are allowing the science to remain only in the hands of the scientists. And, as we have discovered with subjects such as genetically modified organisms, if we don’t understand what others may do with science, then we will be victims of our ignorance.
When studying new subjects I have always found that, while these sometimes seem complex and difficult to understand at first, there is always some bits of information that will resonate with my thinking as long as I have an interest in the topic. Ultimately, we are all curious; we have common interests; we each have the capability to learn if we have the will to learn.
I would encourage anyone to try to learn the sciences of the realities of our existence because knowledge is sustenance of our collective minds. Don’t allow some artificial mental construct of inadequacy to keep you from trying. It would be very helpful for you and for the rest of us that you try to learn science. The more knowledge we accumulate the greater will be our understanding of where we are and where we are headed.
Scientific knowledge creates a hunger in us to learn more because it always leads to other questions.