3 ms·

That's seems a bit unfair. It's not about "products" or "advertising", or society being stupid, there has to be communication from researchers to wider society,

That's seems a bit unfair. It's not about "products" or "advertising", or society being stupid, there has to be communication from researchers to wider society, research has to be allied to education.

tsukurimashou 6y ago
I think his point is that it should be the government job to promote these kind of things to society
forgotmypw17 6y ago
To act in a stupid manner means to ignore obvious reality. Society is the collective sum of its individuals. Our collective sum of individuals is acting in a way which ignores the very obvious reality that it's quickly destroying the biome on which we are dependent. Therefore, I would say that our society is being stupid.
- RobertKerans 6y ago
  Right, I fully agree with that, but that's not what the comment I was replying to said: the parent said that society (in a nation) was stupid for not recognising [what is to parent] the self-evident importance of the scientific specialisation of taxonomy. And sure, that is important, but equally so are thousands of other academic specialisations. The point is that a specialisation has to communicate their importance to wider society, has to educate. That isn't a new thing, or capitalism, or a creeping anti-elitism, or productisation of universities, or whatever. It's just something that has to be done. Calling people idiots because they don't pay attention to a specific specialisation among thousands -- what is gained from that? It feels good to do that, but it doesn't help, it doesn't change people's bearing. It may be that people are just really, really thick! We'll just say that instead of communicating the importance of something! And I get that ignorance may be societally self destructive. That there are cultural/economic/societal systems that actively suppress communication

3 ms·

That's seems a bit unfair. It's not about "products" or "advertising", or society being stupid, there has to be communication from researchers to wider society,

by RobertKerans 6y ago

tsukurimashou 6y ago
I think his point is that it should be the government job to promote these kind of things to society
forgotmypw17 6y ago
To act in a stupid manner means to ignore obvious reality. Society is the collective sum of its individuals. Our collective sum of individuals is acting in a way which ignores the very obvious reality that it's quickly destroying the biome on which we are dependent. Therefore, I would say that our society is being stupid.
- RobertKerans 6y ago
  Right, I fully agree with that, but that's not what the comment I was replying to said: the parent said that society (in a nation) was stupid for not recognising [what is to parent] the self-evident importance of the scientific specialisation of taxonomy. And sure, that is important, but equally so are thousands of other academic specialisations. The point is that a specialisation has to communicate their importance to wider society, has to educate. That isn't a new thing, or capitalism, or a creeping anti-elitism, or productisation of universities, or whatever. It's just something that has to be done. Calling people idiots because they don't pay attention to a specific specialisation among thousands -- what is gained from that? It feels good to do that, but it doesn't help, it doesn't change people's bearing. It may be that people are just really, really thick! We'll just say that instead of communicating the importance of something! And I get that ignorance may be societally self destructive. That there are cultural/economic/societal systems that actively suppress communication