I keep coming back to some fundamental questions:
What kind of world do we want to live in?
Are we taking the steps to create the world we want?
What is the role of STEM education in a world of 7 billion people (and growing).
In my opinion, without advance of technology and increase in scientific literacy amongst the general population, the future for the 7 billion will be unfortunate. There are some who predict the “end times” and welcome pestilence, famine and destruction as God’s will. Surely the God of mercy and love such people espouse does not wish such suffering upon his children.
The fascination with the end of the world is baffling to me. How many times has it been foretold? In 1995 I asked my high school students what they thought the world would be like in 20 years. “The world’s going to end in 2000,” someone replied. “How do you know?” I said. A chorus responded, “We saw it on Fox!” I said, “We’ll see.”
The STEM disciplines require evidence for claims, at least that is the ideal. People who are trained to draw conclusions based on observable information are less likely to be swayed by emotional, fear-based notions such as the call to arm elementary school teachers. Carrying a gun may make some people (not me) feel safe, but the data is clear that the more guns, the more deaths. When people are able to objectively judge the merits of claims, they are likely to make better decisions.
In America we have come to the cultural understanding that everyone is entitled to his/her opinion. Paradoxically, however, we must continue to consider that not all opinions are equally supported by evidence, and therefore not all opinions are equally valid. Increasing people’s ability to critically evaluate evidence is crucial for the future of the United States and the world.
In my opinion, the only way out of the troubles caused by industrialization, overpopulation, burning of fossil fuels, destruction of Earth’s life support system, etc. is to move forward with technology. We need to know more and do more with technology so that we can have a world we want to live in.