Scientific Elitism

Mind if I rant? There is a major misconception about scientists being perpetuated by the media and, sadly, even some unfortunate scientists or aspiring scientists themselves. It is this notion of segregating the "scientific" mind from the "non-scientific". Ever watch Friends? I did, even though I hated it. I'm of course talking about Ross Geller the paleontologist, as well as his coworkers, and how his friends view him. Yes, it is a just a sitcom, but I have a point. Ross is the scientifically minded brainiac of the group. All he knows how to talk about are theories put forth by "great minds" his friends have never heard of, expecting them to know about any of it. Not to mention he says something that's apparently supposed to be a joke about dinosaur bone development in one episode, which his colleagues (all old men, by the way) all think is hilarious but his friends of course don't get it.

See what's happening here? There is an increasing wedge between the "intellectual scientists" and everyone else. These so-called intellectuals appear, on the show, to be in their own little world apart from the "regular" people you relate to. In all fairness, this may be true of some people, as actual intellectual clubs do exist, but it's not the way commonly assumed. Another example is in one episode of Third Rock from the Sun. Dick was terror-stricken with superstitions and this caused him to act kind of goofy in a meeting with other scientists (again, who are all old men). One of them spoke up and said something like "How dare you! You are acting up in front of scientists!"

Let's get this out in the open now. A career in science does not put you above others in any way, shape, or form. You are not superior. It does not give you the right to put down others' beliefs. As real scientists repeatedly find out, science does not prove everything. Some people think it does, but those people are idiots. Science does not stand to be the jerk telling you to stop believing in "silly things" like Santa Claus, dragons, or religion. It is not a supporter of any social segregation whether based on race, sex, or age. It is not pro-choice. It does not mean you know everything. In fact, to really go somewhere in any scientific field, you must be far away from a realist. How else would new things be discovered?

Quit turning science into a bad guy. Doing so does nothing but trivialize credible findings. Stop distorting findings for discriminatory purposes! Stop assuming science is a form of atheism. Stop assuming to be a scientist means having no imagination or that you don't sit on the couch on Sunday watching football and drinking beer like everyone else. Science is simply studying natural phenomena and how they act under certain conditions, as well as putting together the puzzle that is our universe. Stick to that. We'd all be much happier.