By Jorge Valdez García
Since the beginning of humanity, people have sought to surpass themselves, creating ideals that guarantee human dignity, justice, and the common good. Scientific culture is a key pillar for building an advanced and just society. It helps people think critically, make better decisions, and participate in democracy. However, scientific culture alone is not enough to create a better world; it also needs the support of ethics and the humanities.
Scientific culture is also valuable to democracy, given its presence in various areas of life, as it allows society to form opinions and engage in matters of general interest that increasingly depend on their relationship with science.
Its importance is such that scientific culture is considered a fundamental human right. Article 27 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 15 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights recognize that everyone has the right to participate in scientific advancement and share in its benefits.
Challenges Facing Scientific Culture
It is reasonable to ask what an ordinary person needs to know about science and technology in order to live better or make well-documented and informed decisions in their daily life. However, perceptions of science are not always positive within society; some sectors of the population view it with a certain degree of distrust and suspicion. Some sectors even consider science unnecessary for having a good life.
Cambre (2001) found something concerning in a study in which students stand out among these groups: 50% of them consider that they do not need to know about science and technology to live better, followed by teachers, among whom 4 out of 10 hold the same opinion (1).
These figures should concern those of us involved in education, particularly higher education. The challenge is not only the citizen who lives a world where advances in science and technology are undeniable but has no interest in learning about science and technology; it also involves many of the people responsible for creating a scientific culture, who do not consider it relevant either.
How Do We Develop a Scientific Culture?
Scientific culture is not simply the result of science communication. However, although it is a complex, multidimensional phenomenon that can be expressed across diverse spheres and generate different types of experiences, science communication plays a fundamental role in facilitating it.
In this regard, there are opportunities to improve science communication—that is, the process of knowledge transfer (in which scientists convey their message to citizens)—and even to modify the structure of the process itself.
One of the main challenges is that scientists who conduct research and produce results could engage in better and more intensive science communication; today, we have a clear opportunity. However, science communication lacks career incentives, which can be a disadvantage in many fields of knowledge.
One opportunity lies in accountability for research results. We should take advantage of calls for research project funding and go beyond a final report intended only for scientific peers, also reporting to stakeholders who might otherwise never learn what is being done with the allocated resources.
But this is not solely the responsibility of scientists; it is also the responsibility of science communication professionals. We know there is an opportunity to increase the number of professionals trained in this field. We often see science coverage in the media that omits the human side, political aspects, or ethical dilemmas. Science is usually presented through a triumphalist perspective and without historical or current context. Several educators have emphasized the desirability of providing science journalists and science communication professionals with a broader background in the philosophy, history, and sociology of science as part of their curricula.
A key imperative in establishing a scientific culture is the social appropriation of scientific and technological knowledge. This, of course, cannot be limited to improving the presence of science in the media; action is also needed across all areas, and we must rethink the notion that citizens are merely passive subjects with deficits in information and attitudes.
September 28, the anniversary of the first broadcast of the series Cosmos, one of the most influential science communication programs in history, was chosen as the annual date for celebrating the International Day of Scientific Culture. Its objective is to promote the concept of scientific culture, highlighting its importance in today’s world; encourage the integration of science as part of citizens’ culture; and emphasize the need for citizens to be scientifically “literate.”
References
- Cambre, M. (2021). Is scientific culture important for citizens? JCOMAL, 4(01), R01. https://doi.org/10.22323/3.04011001.
- Padilla, J., Patiño, M. L., & Herrera, S. (2020). What science does the citizen need? Mexico City, Mexico: Editorial SOMEDICYT, A.
Author
Jorge E. Valdez García is leader of the Educational Research and Innovation Unit in Health Sciences at the Institute for the Future of Education (IFE) at Tec de Monterrey. He is a member of Mexico’s National System of Researchers and of the Mexican Academies of Surgery and Sciences.
