No Scientific Culture

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Asom is one of the States in the country that has little — or perhaps nothing — to show in the field of science promotion and the culture that science seeks to create. It is indeed very unfortunate that scientists in the State get no publicity worth the work they do and no incentives for the breakthroughs they make in their world, marked by a pursuit that is almost like meditation. It is as if scientists have become a lesser breed in the face of the glitz all about and the blatant promotion of consumerism and materialism. It is as if scientists owe their works to others, and not the other way round despite the fact that it is science and technology that has led to the many comforts of life that we cannot even imagine of dissociating ourselves with. In other words, there is no respect for scientific erudition, and no thought for the harsh circumstances under which scientific researchers do their work for the benefit of the mankind at large.

All this has to do with the attitude of the people in general towards science, which is why there is no scientific culture in the State. By scientific culture we mean the realization of the importance of scientific pursuits for the onward march of the human race and a spontaneous adoration of science for it being the best use of the faculty of reason and man’s quest for certitude in a universe characterized by unknown forces and phenomena, all apparently hostile. It is science that makes man confident of himself as he puts his reason to use to decode the mysteries of Nature. And it is scientific culture that promotes the use of reason over the overriding forces of emotion, bias and subjectivity. And yet, we seem to have overlooked such an important fact of life, especially in Asom that does need a flourishing scientific community for growth and development. Little have we bothered about what neglect of science can do: undo our very status as the most intelligent species on earth. Nor does one see any civil society action to help promote science education and culture. Does it have to do with the way in which people have been groomed right from their childhood or with the kind of science education in vogue in our schools or with the attitude of people that makes them uncomfortable with the reality about science because science is all about change and growth while people just refuse to change and grow with time? source: the sentinel assam editorial