Nation’s nonpartisan scientific community is aiming to educate

Humans have the natural capacity to discover patterns in nature and to make sense of such regularities by developing ideas about how nature functions. The simple examples of such patterns are: We need air for breathing; things always fall to the ground unless they are lighter than air; heat always flows from hot objects to cold objects; and exercise is beneficial for us.

The knowledge about the patterns in nature is important as it helps us improve the human condition by increasing food production, fighting disease, improving communications and travel, building better structures and creating new technologies. For centuries, humans used built-in sense mechanisms and primitive instruments to discover nature. But because of procedural crudeness, the progress in knowledge was somewhat slow until more advanced instruments and epistemological methodologies were developed to understand nature as it is and not as it appears to be. The advent of better instruments and the scientific method has improved our understanding of the nature of matter, energy, sound, light, health and disease, and much more.

The beauty of the scientific method in understanding nature is that it is neutral, rational, logical and nonauthoritarian. It is very apparent that the nations who have adopted the scientific approach to tackle their affairs are the most democratic, prosperous, secure and egalitarian.

The April 22 science march in Washington is welcome news for Americans. The organizers deserve credit for being responsible citizens of our society by providing their feedback to policymakers. In this context, the march should be considered as a public awareness event rather than a protest. The nonpartisan nature of the march shows that the scientific community is focused on the issues rather than the political leadership in the White House. The highlighted issues of climate change and sustained financial support of research funding are very important for the welfare of our citizens and for global competitiveness.

Policymakers must realize that science is not only relevant for knowledge-based economic growth, technological innovations, agricultural production, exploration of space and for finding cures for diseases, it is a panacea of many of social problems as well.

The defense of science is necessary for the steady upward progress of our nation.