I
absolutely love what Ms. Melissa Marshall has to say about communication in the
scientific community. Her thesis rings true, the scientific community
needs to learn how to effectively communicate with the rest of society, and to
some extent our future is reliant on dialogue between scientists and plain
folk. Unfortunately, I believe that Ms.
Marshall is comprehensively oblivious to the underlying conflict that is
hampering communication between the scientific community and the rest of the
world. The dichotomy lies not in
interpersonal relations but rather an intrapersonal delight in
condescension. I do not subscribe to the
theory that top scientists across the globe are not proficiently educated to
communicate clearly and intelligibly with the layman. We are talking about individuals that have no
trouble comprehending spectrums of the most complex information known to
mankind. If they had any desire
whatsoever to engage in communication with the masses, they need only apply the
elementary “equation” provided by Ms. Marshall.
In my opinion, the only way to address the communication discrepancy is to
address pride, the “elephant in the room” so to speak. The pride inherent to the scientific
community is an ancient one. Millennia
after millennia the manifestation of human pride has been illuminated most
clearly by familiar faces such as Joseph Stalin or Adolf Hitler. It’s quite relieving to identify pride in
notorious dictators, but it’s not a totalitarian-exclusive club. When’s the last time you looked down on a
co-ed for copulating with more people than you?
The fact is, technical knowledge differentiates the scientific community
from the global community at large.
Without a continuous, controlled concealment of information scientists
lose their edge. They would no longer
remain an exclusive tribe of individuals collectively superior to the rest of
humanity. They would be just like you
and me.
Regards,
Oliver
Bryson Page
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