Science and Science Fiction

[David]

I just re-read the book 21 Lessons for the 21st Century by Yuval Harari. He talks about many current issues about the challenges that will be faced during this century.

One of the challenges is to improve people's understanding of science and science issues. Of course, he says the best approach is for people to read peer-reviewed articles and books about science. By insisting on "peer-reviewed", the reliance on pseudo-science would be reduced.

The problem, is that most people just are not inclined to read about science, if they are going to read at all. So, in order to inform people about science issues, the next best thing is to watch good science fiction movies.

Why? Well, people are stirred by stories. Good science fiction movies contain good stories. Not stories about robots rebelling against humans -- that is a false issue. There are some real issues, Harari explains. For example:
o the elite will buy technology that will allow them to become superhumans, and overshadow unempowered people
o Technology can be used to control human behavior, like in "The Matrix"
o the effect of climate change on the world, as in the movie "Interstellar"

Harari mentions the Disney movie "Inside Out", which is a comedy but between the lines is about control and the lack of free will. He also mentions Aldous Huxley's "Brave New World", where the government controls people, not by fear but by artificial joy.

Any thoughts on the use of sci-fi movies and stories to help the larger population better understand the science issues of this century?

[Betsy, co-mod]

I totally agree. To a large extent my own interest in science developed out of my reading of science fiction and TV like Star Trek.

One of my current interests is climate change and the relatively new genre of climate fiction. Some of that is what I would call science fiction, or speculative fiction, some of it not. But it seems to be a burgeoning genre. My alma mater has a Climate Literature Book Club which sounds interesting, but I can't participate since I'm a long time graduate. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FA...

There are also nine Lists of Climate Fiction on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/list/tag?id...

[aPriL does feral sometimes]

I am not a scientist, but I really enjoy reading science fiction. It did indeed spark my interest in general science books when I was a kid. I started getting interested in non-fiction science books seeing NASA rockets on TV.

Most people just don’t seem to like to read, and entertainment media doesn’t seem to spark their interest into reading beyond buying the related gear of movies to show off to their peers. My middle-aged niece, for example, loves everything Star Wars, but beyond getting ideas for sexy Halloween costumes she does not pursue much science fiction at all, much less pick up any books. I am crossing my fingers when she reaches retirement age perhaps something more of an interest in science might develop, but I’m not holding my breath. Of course, I probably will be not around to see if she finally decides to pick up a book. As it is, I am the only real reader in my immediate family and most of the other near relatives. Strangely, it is some of the in-laws they married who read anything, and who had some college.

I guess I am somewhat of a curmudgeon - the grandnieces and grandnephews do not appear to have anything of the education my babyboomer generation got. About 30 years ago, I worked as a secretary in a counseling office of a small high school briefly. When I perused the books the kids were using in their senior classes, I was startled by the simplicity and large type, and it seemed to me the books the seniors were using were from my tenth grade years. When I asked my near-retirement counselor if I was imagining it, he sighed and told me they were dumbing down all of the books to the tenth grade level for 12th-grade seniors in order to raise graduation rates. He said it was a consequence of both how federal money to support schools was awarded, falling enrollment, and a growing number of the kids not passing the material they were supposed to. So, every school was “teaching to the test” more and more.

The school also was dropping a lot of classes which were considered electives. I was shocked by what was being dropped. When I was in junior high and high school, music, art, math and PE classes were not considered electives but requirements for a high school diploma. In the ott years though, these classes were now electives! Where I had to attend PE all twelve years five days a week for a grade, for example, the kids were required only in their freshman and sophomore years to take PE. Learning how to read music, and what the different types of music were, which was a class that was a requirement for me to graduate from high school, no longer was even being taught, much less required for graduation. And on and on.

While looking in his shelves, I found notebooks released by some education watchdog government office that had a pages of college ratings of how high schools were successfully, or not, educating their kids across the country. I didn’t understand it until I talked again to the counselor. He said a university, say for example the University of Washington, issued an annual report of what the average college freshman grades were like in comparison to what their high school GPA was upon high school graduation. The high school I was working at was rated a rating which indicated that the graduates from my high school who graduated with a 4.0 actually were only educated to the standardized level of kids who graduated with 2.5. It seems every college and university used this notebook of ratings in deciding who to admit into their institution! If an applicant kid from my high school graduated with a 3.0 gpa, they were placed in the college’s rejection pile! The notebooks were an official annual statistical study of what grade inflation was occurring in each high school. My counselor said grade inflation was occurring more and more across the country. Again, this was the late 20th century when I was learning about this.

[Chris]

I can see Harari's point. As a child I was captivated by the hard science fiction of Asimov, Clarke, et al -- stories that entertained but that also surreptitiously educated. In his latter novels, Arthur C. Clarke started including an author's note that explained some of the science of the novel in more detail. Those notes sent me off to other sources, such as Martin Gardner, which were more directly didactic, and probably helped to keep me interested in the sciences throughout my schooldays.

I'm not sure that films (with the possible exception of 2001) had quite the same effect, although my grandson was somewhat inspired by Montgomery Scott -- an engineering genius who could turn his hand to almost anything -- and ended up studying for a broad-based, general engineering degree at university.

[Michael]

I found aPriL's curmudgeon post intriguing and it motivated me to research the topic regarding her first-hand observations regarding the dumbing down of US text books for 12th graders.

Of course, her note about schools dropping a lot of classes that were electives, like physical education, music, art, math, and learning how to read music is concerning. And why is it that many people don't seem to like to read anymore? Also, her observation that reading science fiction can spark interest in reading non-fiction science books seems to be a universal truth.

Finding factual information consistent with aPriL's observations was easy. Finding an answer to the question of why was elusive and what I found was somewhat unsatisfactory. I also wanted to explore my understanding of the issue from the point of view of the weak reader. Furthermore, what is the impact of large numbers of mostly non readers upon mitigation of emerging, complex, society-wide problems? And lastly, I offer an idea for improved connection to the attention and motivation of weak readers.

In 2024, about 79% of U.S. adults were considered literate, meaning roughly 21% were illiterate. 

54% of U.S. adults: read below a sixth-grade reading level. This figure includes approximately 130 million adults aged 16 to 74.

The statistic highlights a widespread issue with low literacy, which is associated with higher rates of unemployment, lower income, and overall impacts on U.S. competitiveness.

Low levels of literacy are expensive for the U.S., with estimates putting the cost at up to $2.2 trillion per year, as noted by the National Literacy Institute.

Sources: Literacy Gap Map and APM Research Lab.

The Literacy Gap Map (https://map.barbarabush.org/) is an interactive digital tool created by the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy to visualize and analyze the complex, intersecting issues of literacy with other critical factors like poverty, unemployment, health, and educational attainment. It provides county-level data to help identify where literacy resources are most needed, revealing the strong connections between low literacy and poorer health outcomes, lower incomes, and reduced quality of life for individuals and communities across the United States.

The APM Research Lab (https://www.apmresearchlab.org/about) is the research and data journalism unit of American Public Media (APM). It is a nonpartisan center that produces and curates research, facts, and analysis for journalists, civic leaders, and the public. Its mission is to "bring facts into focus" by using the scientific method to better understand social and economic issues.

Around 1 in 5 U.S. adults are functionally illiterate, meaning they struggle with basic reading tasks, according to www.nu.edu. 

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) for 2025 indicates a significant decline in reading proficiency for both 4th and 8th graders. 

Only about 43% of fourth-grade students scored at or above the proficient level in reading. 

Achievement Gaps: Disparities are increasing, with the lowest-performing students scoring significantly lower than higher-performing students, a trend that has worsened since 2010. 

US adult reading levels have declined in recent years, with average literacy scores dropping between 2017 and 2023 and the percentage of adults at low proficiency increasing. Additionally, the rate of adults reading books has seen a significant decline over the past decade. These changes are reflected in declining reading for pleasure among both adults and students, indicating a shift in reading habits toward shorter, less demanding texts. 

To be blunt, I find these facts to be shocking. And my previous ignorance of this issue is part of the problem.

Why is this shift in reading habits toward shorter, less demanding texts happening? My realtively brief research effort found this answer:

Educational attainment is directly related to a person's economic status. Parents' education and literacy levels directly impact the literacy skills of their children and can lead to intergenerational low literacy. Schools in impoverished areas face many hurdles to higher performance. This cause is consistent with Maryanne Wolf's understanding presented in her 2007 book, 'Proust and the Squid', The Story and Science of the Reading Brain. Poor families often have few to no children's books. And they do not read to their children, which is a critical element to learning.

However, aPriL's observations did not link the dumbing down of school text books to low economic status. And I suspect she would have mentioned it, if she knew it was an important cause. What other factors account for all the weak readers? Are incompetent teachers part of the answer? Or school board policies? What role does the time sponges of their being online and watching too much TV have on learning reading skills? I suppose answering these questions is not easy or politically comfortable. Nonetheless, they need to be addressed in an objective and comprehensive manner.

What is it like to make your way in our society with weak reading skills? I'll bet it is at least a somewhat angry experience. Anger at being forced to conform to science-based guidance and regulations that they do not understand and that seems extremely unhelpful. Anger at people using vocabulary that has zero meaning to them. And weak reading skills is a factor contributing to poverty, trouble with the law, and poor health. You know, a scarcity of fun.

The most concerning global problems for 2025 include escalating climate change impacts, intensifying geopolitical conflicts, increasing misinformation, cyber threats, and economic instability. Additionally, biodiversity loss, societal risks like polarization, potential public health disasters, mass fatality incidents, and the governance of emerging technologies such as AI are significant concerns. 

To momentarily focus on one emerging problem refer to: The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC's) Sixth Assessment Report (AR6): https://www.ipcc.ch/assessment-report...

As you know, this is a complex issue where reading skills are practically required to understand the level of effort needed.

Key IPCC findings emphasize that climate change is unequivocally human-caused, threatening human well-being and planetary health, and that a "rapidly closing window of opportunity" exists to take action. Also, the IPCC highlights the need for increased, equitable action and funding, the importance of limiting fossil fuel use, and that the world possesses the capital but lacks the redirection of it towards climate action.  

Or, as Greta Thunberg days in her 2018 book, 'No One Is Too Small To Make A Difference', "Around the year 2030, we will be in a position where we set off an irreversible chain reaction beyond human control, that will most likely lead to the end of our civilization as we know it. That is unless, in that time, permanent and unprecedented changes in all aspects of society have taken place, including a reduction of CO2 emissions by at least 50 percent."

My idea to better connect with weak readers is to use music and psychoacoustics.

Music profoundly impacts society by acting as a catalyst for social and political change, fostering community and empathy, reflecting cultural values, and serving as a tool for individual expression and well-being. It has played a crucial role in movements for civil rights and equality, creating shared experiences that build connection, and influencing individual moods and behaviors through physiological and psychological effects.

Psychoacoustics, focuses on the perception of sound and how humans psychologically and physiologically interact with it, including how we assign meaning to sounds, how sounds affect our feelings and thoughts, and the subjective experience of sound.