Science is used in high schools around the world to rank students. This is especially true in Europe and Asia.  But most students score poorly in math, physics, chemistry, biology and as a result see their career choices erode.  In my view, science should be taught pass or fail with many quizzes along the way to see if students learned, but not to define future paths. I believe if science was taught this way,  if science was not used to curve students, many more people, as adults would like science.  Scientists are surprised at how many adults believe in unproven theories such as previous lives, homeopathy, ghosts, vaccines causing autism, mobile phones causing cancer, genetically modified food killing us. For politicians funding science is less and less popular. Government funding for theoretical physics for example, is at an all time low.  But if you think about it the general public mistrust of science makes sense. Why would people believe in science if science treated them like idiots. If science was used to block their opportunities. If science didn’t believe in them.

Follow Martin Varsavsky on Twitter: twitter.com/martinvars

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