Krista Tippett recently interviewed Brian Greene for her program On Being. Greene is a professor of physics and mathematics at Columbia University and has written lots of provocative stuff about our universe. I’ve heard him interviewed before, but this conversation was particularly interesting because, at one point, they discuss the troubling disconnect between science and the humanities in American culture. Greene says that the push for funding STEM education primarily comes from a fear that the US will fall behind other nations. This fear isn’t unfounded, but, as Greene points out, fear isn’t what motivates individuals to study science:
Dr. Greene: Yeah. You’re right. The urgency to fund stem education largely comes from this fear of America falling behind, of America not being prepared. And, sure, I mean, that’s a good motivation. But it certainly doesn’t tell the full story by any means. Because we who go into science generally don’t do it in order that America will be prepared for the future, right? We go into it because we’re captivated by the ideas.
Ms. Tippett: Yeah.
Dr. Greene: And I think that’s how you get kids excited about this by, I mean, and look, you look at any of the times when a government is willing to spend significantly on some undertaking, it’s largely because they’re afraid. They’re afraid that they’re going to be taken over, Sputnik. They’re afraid that somehow they’re going to fall behind, and it’s unfortunate that fear drives so much activity of that sort when the reality of those in the field are not driven by fear, they’re driven just by the excitement of discovery. And if a kid can get that aspect, get that perspective on science, it’s a very different reason, a much better motivation for pushing forward.
Ms. Tippett: And, that understanding of science suggests a really interesting interplay between science and the humanities, too.
Dr. Greene: Yeah, for sure.
Ms. Tippett: It opens up your imagination about what that looks like.
Dr. Greene: Yeah, that’s right. Because when you recognize that these big questions of the ages that have for a long time been sort of viewed as part of the philosopher’s archive or the poet’s inspiration, now science is starting to give us some insight, real insight into how the universe began. Real insight into what things would be like in the far future. You know, when you recognize that there are earth-like planets out there, right, how does that not change your perspective on reality? So, all of that needs to be folded in. And I am enormously impressed that there are so many artists, so many filmmakers that contact me, contact other scientists, because they want to be inspired by these ideas.
I love that Tippett and Greene describe how poets, philosophers, and physicists are often asking the same questions of the world. What are we doing here? How did we get here? How should we act in light of what we know about the world?
During my years ahead in higher education, I hope that I am able to highlight what the humanities share with the sciences in my scholarship and teaching. The more we speak to each other, the more innovative and honest we will be.
ejstockstill.com 