• Question: Why do you think it is important that people know how amazing physics is?

    Asked by purdysohma to Mark on 11 Mar 2014.
    • Photo: Mark Jackson

      Mark Jackson answered on 11 Mar 2014:

      Good question, there are two reasons:

      1. Learning to think scientifically is good in its own right. I explain why this is at http://goo.gl/QlReWt. Societies that think scientifically do not have the “scared of the unknown” instinct that is tragically intrinsic of humankind, making them more tolerant and compassionate.

      2. When you understand physics you can control it, and use it to your advantage. A few hundred years ago we began to understand what electricity was, and then we could control it. Electronic devices are now so much a part of our culture it’s hard to imagine life without them. If we understood string theory (and it turned out to be right!) we might be able to use the extra dimensions for space travel, for example.

Comments