Quarks, bosons, the Large Hadron Collider, and dark matter are all terms that are seemingly only understood by a few brilliant particle physicists. For the rest of us, they seem beyond mental grasp and comprehension. But guess what? The Einsteins of the world are not that much further ahead of you and I in that department.
Last week, I went to a presentation on “Grand Challenges” in today’s society. One of the speakers worked for CERN, the leading world research base in particle physics located in Geneva, Switzerland. He discussed the huge amount of data and resources that were required to discover the secrets of the universe. They’re trying to recreate the Big Bang, find out why particles have mass, look into antimatter and investigate black holes among other projects.
I was fortunate enough to visit CERN a few months ago and get an inside look into what the scientists are really doing. For the most part, I think the scientists were as perplexed by all the information as I was. They don’t even know what exactly they’re looking for. There’s this whole thing called the “Higgs Boson”, which supposedly will help aid the quest for why matter has mass. Except, there is no proof that this Higgs Boson even exists, or what it “looks like”. It’s just an overgrown hunch. (That’s a little bit of an understatement).
Well that’s the nature of science, I guess. Yet over 20 countries are pouring gross amounts of money into this research in search of answers to the unknown.
Granted, CERN is responsible for the development of the World Wide Web and little things like that, but still, my issue is why is there a pretense that these elite scientists are so much more entitled to the knowledge that defines our universe than the rest of society?
I think it’s because of the jargon, which goes for most professions. In training for one’s profession like doctors, lawyers and even reporters, new vocabulary becomes second nature. So due to my interests in the secrets of the physical world, I took it upon myself to rise to the level of basic proficiency in quantum physics. I know, impressive, right?
While it took a lot of repetition and hands-on exhibits at CERN to get through to me, I found this video that I think can make anyone who wants to have a basic understanding of what particle physicists are trying to find.
It’s actually very accurate. There you go, the universe in a nutshell. If you don’t get that reference, you have a little bit more work to do before you can fully count yourself an expert in the profession. As do I. But hey, it’s a start.
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ReplyDeleteI'm not entirely sure what your angle is in regards to this post. However, I'm assuming you are taking issue with the amount of money that is being used to fund research that you deem is unnecessary, less relevant or pointless?
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that certain kinds of research may seem better than others. However, who and what criteria decides what research should be funded and what shouldn't. Science is about answering questions. No one knows when the next big break through will occur or in what field. The reason that funding is being given is that everyone wants to be that person/country that makes the breakthrough. How do you think most of the technological advances we have today have come about. Even NASA, while some might question what they do, is responsible for developing many of the materials and processes that we use today and don't even think about.
You also asked... "why is there a pretense that these elite scientists are so much more entitled to the knowledge that defines our universe than the rest of society?" The scientists are not entitled to anything. The majority work to make discoveries that they then share with the rest of the public. Problem is that many people don't care.
No I wasn't saying that there should not be research funding for science. I believe the contrary. I am very interested in science, my point was that most people have this conception that theoretical physics is "out of their league" and that it really isn't. I think the problem is with the communication and the jargon that's used, which is why people may seemingly "not care" when in actuality it's not presented in an effective manner.
ReplyDeleteI think people have different strengths and weaknesses, but with a varying degrees of work, anything is possible. For me personally, workings with numbers and understanding cause-and-effect relationships have led me to study finance and economics. It just seems to come more naturally to me, and I enjoy it. You posed a question asking why certain scientists are more entitled to certain amounts of information and research over others, and I would suggest that they are most naturally gifted in the area of science and their specific field. I would also not be surprised to see that they have had excellent grades, test scores, and an off-the-charts IQ. We want the best and brightest to work with our money and working for us, so I find it no surprise that it is they doing the work.
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