We're Going to Sleep with Science

Great question. I think it is a systemic problem on a grand social scale.

We are complacent and we have an entitlement attitude. Our whole society is shifting from our core principles that drove that innovation we had to a more self centered government owes it to us attitude. We are not lazy, but we no longer are hungry and hunger drives people to do extraordinary things.

When our nation was under fire we rallied and rose to the challenge. Even the cold war brought out innovation and the space program.

It is too much noise, and loss of common social value and work ethos. From bottom up and top down.

Well, I'm not USA citizen nor live in the USA and even I try to keep informed I cannot be an expert on your particular situation. But I think you're not alone (unfortunately).

At least here in my country (Spain) our standard of living has raised a lot from that we had when I was a child and we are fluctuating in the most industrialized countries ranking around nº 10. The situation is the same, but I don´t agree completely on the reasons: We haven´t been in war from 1939 when our Civil War ended. We don't participate on WW II, but we've grow.

Of course WW II and Cold war impulse the need for military developments and many appliances we use everyday are based on researches originally focused on military/space uses.

Just remember one of your great engineers, Thomas Alva Edison, did it his work under war or starving pressure. There is a lot of similar examples all around the world.

The problem we face now in our "western" society is deeper. I personally know what hunger is, being a child some nights I went to sleep wit my stomach empty because of poverty. Perhaps this made me to work hard in order to get out this situation, and fortunately with some success. But as I see our behaviour with our own children is quite different, of course the huge grow of mass media, internet, etc makes difficult the education of them because you can try to educate them, but you're alone in front of a huge brain washing machine. Have you realize that most, if not all, of cell phones advertisements are created to attract children and younger people? They are continuously offering downloads of games, songs, and many other things in which most adults aren't interested. But children are the weakest minded to realize somebody is trying to manipulate his mind, and they don't have economic resources!

Some companies strategy is to attack our purse through our children but this is not the only consequence, besides of this is the generation of a feeling of self- accommodating on them, all you see around tells you that effort is bad, you just need to amuse yourself.

With that situation is difficult not only to steer the younger generation back towards scientific discovery but just to work.

The reason Science and scientists have been inhibited is at its roots revolving around religious beliefs that have not integrated facts into ethical theology. In a way religion loves death more than life. It is actually enough to have one life such as we have, for we have certainly a concurrent spiritual life, even if we are essentially a bad spirit.

The facts as a comfort ought to be enough.

It is not irrational to fear science that has produced horrible weaponry by lights of informed inspiration.

Through Science Salvation!

Through Science Eternal Life!

Now I have a bone to pick with the Vatican because they have not funded a Space Program that enables rampant reproduction for the available real estate.

I come from sailors and priests and know the facts are possible to put together so as to be awesome enough.

Never believe in anything too much, even if it is true.

"How can we steer the younger generation back towards scientific discovery?"

We cannot. A generation is of its time and motivated (or not) by events of that time. It is the same problem as often seen with successful family businesses when the founder(s) wish to retire.

All we can do is try and ensure that history contains some record of what went before and hope that future generations will occasionally glance back and maybe even pause a while to reflect on past events.

All I can say is we had better not ask the Romans how to get out of this pickle.

We in the USA have gotten to fat, dumb and happy. Everything has come far to easy for too many of us. This scenario creates the false image that we do not HAVE to work hard to get ahead. It will just come.

This mentality has stricken our school aged children the most. Many of them come out of school thinking that they deserve great salaries for doing minimal work with minimal loyalty. I believe this attitude is reflected in the choice of degrees the youth of America is trying to attain in college. Science while extremely exciting can be very challenging. Youth today do not want to be challenged, they want the easy road.

Until we as an American society can change that perspective we will continue to suffer great loses in our leadership role of scientific break through.

I guess my age is making me quite cynical.

Well in the U.S. School I would say stop talking so much and actually do things. Let the kids make stuff while using the math, research tools and their teachers as guides.

Just making simple stuff like a cutting board. The process of discovery in how to design, layout, understand different types of wood, how it is affected by moisture before and after planks are cut into strips. They would gain an understand of how decision are made, what research needs to be done and why, all kinds of design, logistics, accounting, and it is great for them after all that to even have 1 finished product. Each grade level they can be assigned different jobs with different teams to learn each or several steps of a process.

All this working towards the research, engineering and product development. I don't see it as being that hard and I believe Science teachers all over would jump at the chance to stop the talk and do something. Of course it will cost.

I agree with do things instead of crying. I don't know which is exactly the situation in the U.S., but through some other threads seems quite similar to other "western" countries.

Here in Spain perhaps the situation is degrading faster. I'm lecturer in one University but I just teach last year MSc mechanical engineering students which left school some years ago when the situation was a bit different.

Actually, according to the last Education Law modification, children in school can pass the year with up to 4 (yes, four) matters not passed. Imagine this children selected matters are maths, language, any sciences.... What will be the education level?

I've heard some friends which are teaching school children that some of them laugh at teachers saying: "Go to hell, I don't mind what you say, your matter is one of the four I've selected to forget, I'm going off your classroom!".

Hope this never happen in your country.

Best regards

Some kind of "no-children left behind act" that has been applied in the whole world.

Last year the director of a school (a Community College) in which I teach forced me to pass a student in the Hydraulics and Pneumatics course who couldn't even graps the concept of pressure.

The moron who served as examiner with me and the director wanted to pass "the poor kid" because he (the kid) had impregnated his girlfriend and really needed a job. So now he is going to kill people and take companies to bankrupt while doing bad maintenance because two idiots had pity for him.

The problem with the world is that society values needs more than achievements.

Idiots should rely only on their families' charity (if they are not too idiots) and not be allowed to extort the real achievers