What Schools Need is a Moment of Science

Title of post stolen from a bumpersticker on evolvefish

This is realy a sad commentary on our society. A couple of weeks ago I helped my parents move out to Provo, UT from the Washington DC area. We rented a big truck and my Dad and I took turns driving. My dad brought a couple of books for the downtime and I did not. So I hijack his copy of "The Ancestors Tale" by board favorite Richard Dawkins. btw, this book offers an amazing comprehensive view of evolutionary theory and anyone who is interested in this stuff will get alot out of this book.
Anyways, the day comes when Im going to fly back home and I havent finished the book yet. Were in Salt Lake City doing some sightseeing before heading to the airport and I see a Borders book store and decide to run in and grab another copy of "The Ancestors Tale" to finish up. And here is the point of my post. I ask the lady in the store where the science/evolution section would be and she takes me over to the one bookshelf that holds all titles on physics, chemistry, biology, math, etc. One bookcase maybe 8 feet high, 6 feet wide, with 5 shelfs. To top it all off on those shelfs was an extremly limited range of books. Hawkings "A Brief History of Time" was grouped together in like 5 different places. Dawkins "Ancestor Tale" and "Blind Watchmaker" also grouped together in like 3 or 4 different spaces. So they provide a limited amount of space for the science titles, but even that is too much space so they have to repeat and overstock the few popular science writers. Now what really pissed me off was when I looked around and noticed at least 5 times as much shelf sapce devoted to Astrology, Mysticism and other nonsense, not to mention the religious books section which dwarfed both. This depresses me greatly and I hope that the location, right across the street from Temple Square, is the explanation.
Back home in Baltimore yesterday I decide to do an experiment and walk down to the Barnes and Noble. They were slighlty better than the Salt Lake Borders but not much. Science is still the overwhelming minority to completly absurd explanations of our world. Bibles alone took up more than twice as much space as all Science titles.
Stuff like this along with Americas schools falling behind in math and science, and a President who declares the jury still out on evolution really makes me pesimistic as to our countries future.

[BluffTHIS!]

Well of course as a christian I don't think there could be too much space devoted to bibles and religious books. But the problem you talk about is one that has become completely self-fulfilling. Peole without a background in science won't have an interest in scientific books and thus stores merely stock what they can sell since they are not non-profit libraries. And of course such parents won't encourage their children to take up an interest in science either. Same for the next generation.

When I was a teenager, I really got an interest in all branches of science from the books of the well-known and prolific Isaac Asimov, who was also one of my favorite science fiction writers. Since I now only read more advanced books on science, I don't really know what is out there in the way of popular "science-lite" books for those without a good grasp of physics and mathematics and biology yet. But those types of writings, similar to what can be found in Discover magazine, are exactly what shcools need to push kids to read.

Regarding popular magazines, I have always read Discover and also Scientific American when the latter one had articles I was interested in. But SA seems to have gone somewhat lite in the past few years. While it was never at the technical level of Nature, it nonetheless still used to have articles that presupposed a somewhat advanced knowledge of various scientific fields. But now it seems to be a clone of Discover. Even so, getting teenagers to read Discover as part of their curriculum as well as some good books, would be a positive move to encourage their interest in science. In the same vein, those kids need to be reading at least one of the major news magazines such as Time every week to keep up on current affairs. Otherwise all we end up with is a Reader's Digest generation of kids.

[gamblore99]

Why would I want to pick up a big book on evidence about evolution? That is very boring, I believe evolution and understand the major points behind it. I know very little about the history, culture, and religion of most people, so I would rather pick up one of one of these books learn about this stuff.
Some science books are ok, but I am learning about most of this stuff 8 months of the year and want a change. Even if I wasn't, unless I have questions about something, I am not gonna buy a book on it. Not saying I know everything in science, but my level of understanding for most areas of science satisfies my curiosity.

[chezlaw]

[ QUOTE ]
Why would I want to pick up a big book on evidence about evolution? That is very boring, I believe evolution and understand the major points behind it. I know very little about the history, culture, and religion of most people, so I would rather pick up one of one of these books learn about this stuff.
Some science books are ok, but I am learning about most of this stuff 8 months of the year and want a change. Even if I wasn't, unless I have questions about something, I am not gonna buy a book on it. Not saying I know everything in science, but my level of understanding for most areas of science satisfies my curiosity.

[/ QUOTE ]
Dawkins "Ancestor Tale" is fantastic. Its not trying to make a case for evolution but to reconstruct as best as possible the path evolution took. He cant resist the odd snipe at creationists but that's become almost endearing.


chez

[RJT]

[ QUOTE ]
Dawkins "Ancestor Tale" is fantastic. Its not trying to make a case for evolution but to reconstruct as best as possible the path evolution took. He cant resist the odd snipe at creationists but that's become almost endearing.

chez

[/ QUOTE ]

Agree or disagree with Dawkins, from the little I have read and seen of him on TV, I can tell he is a charming chap.

RJT

[Jeff V]

And why doesn't B&N have more space devoted to books on ______? Because people don't buy them.

I've looked at a lot of Borders and B+N science sections. I have a book on the shelves in both stores in the science section - 6 years running now. (I wont say the Title though cause I'm shy).
But you are right about the ordering of the books. Sometimes it makes no sense the way they section things out. I did see mine right next to Hawking's once though and I thought - ah OK leave it there.
Stores near Universities will have bigger science sections.
Oh yes and Jeff is right B+N stocks what sells.