‘Is Western culture balancing on a tightrope between science and humanities?’ asks Carlos Elias, author of new book Science on the Ropes, which explains why science has been dethroned from its prestigious position in Western culture and replaced by pseudoscientific conjecture and fake news
Pseudoscience is on the rise and so is the constant clamour of “fake news”. Should we, therefore, be questioning the West’s grip on rational, empirical evidence-based reason?
While the West is fending off resurgent claims of a flat Earth – last dispelled by Magellan and Elcano’s circumnavigation in the early 16th century – as well as persistent climate change deniers, Asia is making rapid technological and scientific progress.
In his book, Carlos Elías discusses why Western countries are losing interest in the STEM subjects, which once reigned as the beacon of civil development and culture, in favour of post-truths, alternative facts and, occasionally, irrationality.
STEM includes natural sciences, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Elías provides a critical perspective on modern-day scientific development in an era dominated by social media culture.
Students are flocking to the humanities and, consequently, associated academics are accumulating increasingly more power despite having little to no scientific knowledge.
He also suggests the humanities and its academics play the role that Spain, the Jesuits and the Catholic Clergy had during the Counter-Reformation in the 17st century, where contempt and an intolerance of science and technological development led to the decline of the Spanish imperial power.
“The university and its influence on the media have fostered a celebrity culture that puts the emotional before the rational. They have established university degrees in which literature about magic is studied more than physics and chemistry,” says Elías.
In contrast to the West, where the importance of science is regarded with increasing doubt and suspicion, in Asia, country leaders often have scientific or engineering backgrounds.
This so-called STEM vocation crisis could also have adverse economic consequences for the West, and may also lead to a decline in its cultural hegemony, historically based on rational decision-making.
STEM educators, scientists and academics interested in scientific culture will undoubtedly find Science on the Ropes an informative and elucidating read.
So, too, will readers looking to unveil the momentum behind a social media culture obsessed with vilifying scientific knowledge.
Carlos Elías, PhD, is Professor of Journalism, Science and Society at the Carlos III University of Madrid as well as the Jean Monnet Chair holder on the subject of the EU, Disinformation and Fake News. His research focuses on the relationship between policy-making, science, technology and mass media culture.
Related Posts
- 53
What has been described as “the world’s first autonomous hydrogen vehicle” has now been officially launched. Created by the Estonian enterprise Auve Tech in cooperation with University of Tartu researchers, the vehicle was presented to the public for the first time in Tartu, a city in eastern Estonia. The first…
- 36
- 36
In addition to being visually stunning, schools of herring, herds of wildebeest and countless other groups of organisms that act in concert can help complex ecosystems maintain their diversity and stability, new research by Oregon State University shows. Published today in Nature Ecology and Evolution, the study demonstrates that when…
- 36
A startup company called Tau, which specializes in materials science and automotive electrification, says it has delivered a prototype wire that enables electric motors to double their power output without changing their size. The technology could mean that electric vehicles and machines of all kinds can keep going for longer…
- 35
Loneliness in adult life is experienced differently depending on age, according to a study published in the open access journal BMC Public Health. The research concludes that there can be no ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to reducing loneliness, as factors associated with it, such as contact with friends and family, perceived…