Alex WellersteinVerified account

Bad models of what science is do not further science. Science is an institution powered by people who have to undergo a lot of work to think differently than everybody else. If you think science is important you need to grasp that and its implications.

If everyone was, deep down inside, some kind of scientist, it wouldn't require funding or education or anything else. But everyone is not a scientist (as is plainly obvious). It takes immense work to think and act scientifically. And immense resources to sustain actual science.

This seems rather elitist to me. It also reminds me of the myth that learning math is more difficult than learning how to read. Children, as a whole, have much more potential than your argument seems to give them credit for. To me it’s about accessibility rather than platitudes.

It's not elitist to say that it takes hard work to get good at unintuitive, difficult things. That's the definition of education (and expertise). If you constrain education to the elite, then it's elitist.

It also does not have a whisper to say about the potential of children. Children have the potential to become scientists. If they are trained in how to think like scientists. It takes a lot of work. It is not natural at all. If it was, it wouldn't be so damned hard to accomplish!

(I guarantee you that my students — who are by an large STEM majors at the engineering school where I teach — would agree that being a scientist or engineer is not just about being creative or curious. It's about a LOT of hard work.)

I had a choice between a BFA and a BS degree. I excelled at both. I chose the BFA. Both require hard work to attain success and a degree in either does not guarantee that success. I have a BFA but earn my living as a Software Engineer. Go figure.

I think it’s a mistake to pigeonhole people and silo STEM and the arts. My experience in both showed me what they have in common and what students in each could benefit from by exploring the other. STEM without exposure to liberal arts is dangerous.