Why is Science Vital (by sarah)
Science is threaded through out the modern world, everything is affected by or initiated by science. Shouldn't the money be spent on health care? I hear you cry - what do you think is at the bases of the treatments? What allows the equipment to function and be used? SCIENCE!
What about the environment? Surely that was caused by science? No it was caused by ignorance and mis-management and what do you think allowed us to see what was happening? SCIENCE - what do you think will allow us to drag ourselves and our planet out of it? SCIENCE.
Then there is our transport systems, heating for our homes, clean water, foods and hygien. The cloths we are wearing - all those nice washable colours and enduring fabrics? SCIENCE was at the root of all of these.
The artists pigments and the fact they don't die as much from accidental substance abuse - SCIENCE.
Even trying to sort out the mess of the financial crises comes from SCIENCE. Because you know what Maths is SCIENCE. And on that subject we plunge straight into the humanities from war anylises to domestic abuse statistics.
What about business? I hear you cry - shouldn't we be concentrating on strengthening the private sector and let nessecity drive invention?
Ok but you see modern business is reliant on computers - weather it is running their e-bay shop or because they use a bank and where do software engineers get the tools to be able to make these boxes of lights do such amazing things? SCIENCE. Yep sorry guys but even if you only take the logic part of programming into account here - computing is a SCIENCE.
(For the purpose of Research and Development - Science, Engineering and technology in general are all far too interlocked to be seperated out - though I do have views on this aswell but that is beyond the point being made here.)
And to those who say - ok but get rid of all non-vital research - I say that without blue sky research you hamstring the entire scientific entity. Things crop up in unexpected places leading to major breakthroughs - just look at some medical history 😉
I was horrified over the proposed funding cuts in science - how to spiral a country into a social war of attrition as all our initiative and endevours - business start ups etc.... disappear - in other words - all the sorts of things you need to bump a country out of recession.
Looking at other countries it appears that those who invested in science regardless clawed their way up whilst those who didn't dwindled and became weaker.
All of our global equivalents are currently increasing science funding so this is pure madness which is why I have chosen to write yet another blog post about it. Please please check out ScinceIsVital and sign their petition at the very least.