science


Is it necessary for everyone to learn science?
What is science? “Science is the intellectual and practical activity encompassing the systematic study of the structure and behavior of the physical and natural world through observation and experiment.” Science can be known as a subject, explanation and possibly our underlying belief. Among the humanity, there are diverse of religions; some believe in Buddhism, some believe in Christian, some believe in Science, because science is proved with mathematical methods and repetitive experiments, unlike stories are told in the bible. I think learning science is necessary, and it is also important enough to make humankind to feel secure, change the way they think, and allow them to reach out more. First, science is important because it allows us to understand our universe and our role in it. Some of the greatest minds in world history had advocated for the practice of science. After reading the Republic by Plato, I understand how crucial learning knowledge, science, is. Plato employs prisoners as a metaphor for human being. The prisoners lived in an underground cave, while they had their necks and legs all tied up, fixed in the same spot, and they only see things that are in front of them. “Underground cave”, “all tied up” such phrases symbolizes how human beings live in their small world, and restrict themselves from reaching out for knowledge. As the text mentioned, “At first, he would see shadows most easily, then images of men and other things in water, then the things themselves” (Plato 7). Such text reflex the position of science in today’s society – compelling to not only gain knowledge but digest and apply it as well. Just believing in information is not enough; science compels us to prove what we know. Science helps the guys to open up their eyes. Furthermore, the more understanding we have, the safer we feel. Science has not only produces more practical benefits in understanding our world, but also slowly emerge as a belief. Everything can relate back to science in our daily life, which is why people should learn and explore science. People always assume Isaac Newton is famous as he discovered gravity from a falling apple; in fact, Newton is known as his way of analysis, and strong inductive reasoning in his experimental trails. Eventually, Newton concluded several laws of motion, and published into Principia. Theory of motion has altered through human exploration, from Ancient Greek to 17th to 18th centaury. Look at our achievement in the 20th centaury, human beings travelled out of the earth, performed in-depth experiment on atoms. All these cannot be done without all the scientists’ dedications and the way they think. Such achievements not only expand the frontier of exploration, it also answers our curiosity and make mankind feel secure living in the universe. In conclusion, science is not necessary an academic subject because it furthers our understanding of the physical world around us, which consequently makes men be protected. It has shaped our modern thinking. Plato and Aristotle only discuss about science, which created the curiosity for us to study into it, while Newton and Galileo revolutionized the way we approach science. Learning science not only teaches the history of what we are, but opens the doors for what we are to become. Because of the experimental and quantitative methods of modern science, people are more independent in what and how they think; and the better understanding mankind has, the more secure and stable society feels. Works Cited

Cohen, I. Bernard. The Birth of a New Physics. New York: W.W. Norton, 1985. Print. in In Dialogue with Nature: Textbook for General Education Foundation Programme. 2nd ed. Hong Kong: Office of University General Education, 2012. 5-9. Plato. Republic. 2nd ed. Tr. G.M.A. Grube. Indianapolis: Hackett, 1992. Rpt. in In Dialogue with Nature: Textbook for General Education Foundation Programme. 2nd ed. Hong Kong: Office of University General Education, 2012. 49-69. Carson, Rachel, Lois Darling, and Louis Darling. Silent Spring. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1962. Print. in In Dialogue with Nature: Textbook for General Education Foundation Programme. 2nd ed. Hong Kong: Office of University General Education, 2012. 143-158.