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I have a little thread on science.
I am biased because I spent a decade working in medical research and learning to think scientifically changed my entire life.
/1 https://twitter.com/ewster/status/1350557161613631488
I am biased because I spent a decade working in medical research and learning to think scientifically changed my entire life.
/1 https://twitter.com/ewster/status/1350557161613631488
Science is the frontier of knowledge, it's the coal face of humanity learning and exploring boundaries beyond ourselves. It's also a team sport.
/2 https://twitter.com/ewster/status/1350557499603247109?s=20
/2 https://twitter.com/ewster/status/1350557499603247109?s=20
Think of the technology inside the very device you are reading this tweet on? Information wirelessly beamed into the palm of your hand.
It took millions of minds to make this happen.
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It took millions of minds to make this happen.
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Sometimes we think of science as manipulation. Harnessing the power of physics to our own ends. That is true of "the wheel" let alone solar powered cities.
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Science is also a connection to nature. The more we learn the more impressive the natural world is revealed to be. Science embraces our planet and everything that lives on it.
/5 https://twitter.com/ewster/status/1350558307203821571?s=20
/5 https://twitter.com/ewster/status/1350558307203821571?s=20
How science gets used is typically a problem of politics. Humans are a flawed species and we make flawed choices. The process of science is an attempt to work around those flaws.
/6 https://twitter.com/ewster/status/1339535567944466432?s=20
/6 https://twitter.com/ewster/status/1339535567944466432?s=20
Science is mostly positive in this world. Politics is mostly not. The more my Twitter feed is filled with science the better the world looks to my mind.
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If you want to feel better about the world and humans, I recommend following a few science podcasts.
/8 https://twitter.com/ewster/status/1338811119943610369?s=20
/8 https://twitter.com/ewster/status/1338811119943610369?s=20
Most of our media does science very very badly.
They demand black and white stories, short attention spans and rock solid certainties. Science is never like that, a fact that remains beyond comprehension for so many journos.
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They demand black and white stories, short attention spans and rock solid certainties. Science is never like that, a fact that remains beyond comprehension for so many journos.
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90% of the science/health articles I've read since the pandemic were critically flawed in ways that the typical journo is unaware of. A few facts sprinkled in with hype.
Click bait media is not good for science.
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Click bait media is not good for science.
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An obvious error media makes is framing science as a religion. Faith is what you have when you don't have facts.
And when I say facts, I don't mean "my opinion is more valid than yours".
/11 https://twitter.com/ewster/status/1324630361519763461
And when I say facts, I don't mean "my opinion is more valid than yours".
/11 https://twitter.com/ewster/status/1324630361519763461
Science is humbling because it takes immense resources to achieve anything. Nothing is done by a single human.
Achieving the status of "expert" recognises that a lot of people have walked the path before you. Experts are custodians, not gods.
/12 https://twitter.com/ewster/status/1348234915767320576?s=20
Achieving the status of "expert" recognises that a lot of people have walked the path before you. Experts are custodians, not gods.
/12 https://twitter.com/ewster/status/1348234915767320576?s=20
Let me say that again, because science is humbling not glamorous...
"Experts are custodians, not gods."
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"Experts are custodians, not gods."
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You don't have to be an expert to recognise one. You just have to understand that your own world view is limited. Seek knowledge, not power.
Twitter is actually wonderful for broadening your horizons, if you let it.
/14 https://twitter.com/ewster/status/1338811119943610369?s=20
Twitter is actually wonderful for broadening your horizons, if you let it.
/14 https://twitter.com/ewster/status/1338811119943610369?s=20
I feel sad for the majority of humans for whom an appreciation of the scientific approach has never been part of their education.
Understanding even a little of science is empowering.
/15 https://twitter.com/ewster/status/1350558307203821571
Understanding even a little of science is empowering.
/15 https://twitter.com/ewster/status/1350558307203821571
