A Scientifically Literate Population Is The Essential Cornerstone Of An Innovative Culture

Within the article titled “The Mistrust of Science” by Atul Gawande, the article is a written document of an address at the California Institute of Technology and describes the connection of science to every single human on Earth. This is done because the presenter defines science as “a systematic way of thinking” since science allows humans to contemplate beyond the information being given to them at any time, such as the questions may follow of how, when, where, why, and how? The presenter states the opinion that, no matter what major you are declared as or the type of occupation you hold, science is embedded into the way you are living, despite you not having any knowledge of certain science topics.

Although the arguments against vaccines have remained consistent for over two centuries, the ways in which information is disseminated to the public through media has changed. Technological advancements of the internet and social media have allowed everyone quick and easy access to anti-vaccination propaganda. These false messages can negatively influence parental attitudes and beliefs regarding vaccines (LA County Department of Public Health, 2015). Currently, most women of child-bearing age who will be making vaccination decisions for their children are Millennials - a term used to describe those born between 1980 and the early 2000s. Millennials are less inclined than older generations to vaccinate their children. This can mainly be attributed to their utilization of readily available health information regarding vaccines from the media and internet rather than asking and trusting a doctor. For example, a recent study shows that 70 percent of people are influenced by what they read on the internet regarding vaccination information (Kata, 2012). This is a dangerous way to form opinions about health and vaccination, as the information on social media is not scientific, can be created by anyone, and lacks

For years there has been public controversies over the advancements in science and all of the health risks that have been around, but now the use of the media has certainly boosted the amount of confusion throughout the public. Frightening stories regarding the progressions of science have been appearing online and in print. One particular example of this issue was the MMR vaccine debate. The MMR vaccine is an immunization vaccine which fights against rubella, measles, and mumps. During the 1990’s the media played a huge role in the decisions parents made regarding whether or not they allowed their children to get vaccinated. The media portrayed the MMR vaccine as having a possible link between autism. Which left the public worried about the MMR vaccine and having conflicting views and feelings towards the safety of vaccinations. In the MMR vaccine debate scientist and the media played two different roles which helped citizens make decisions regarding vaccination.

Although the negative claims behind anti-immunization stances are deceptive and discredited, some parents find it difficult to accept that vaccines are necessary and safe. Many of these reasons are due to personal or religious beliefs that have persuaded parents to bypass immunizations for their children. Consequently, health officials are seeing disquieting rises of diseases that are easily preventable. The CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) has reported hundreds of measles cases in the United States in 2011, the largest number in 15 years (Ben-Joseph, Elana). Essentially, almost all of these cases were in individuals who had not received a vaccine shot. Also found in the article was that a great amount of the quarrel over the shots comes from a 1998 study that tried to connect autism to a type of vaccine that defends against measles. However, there has been no scientific evidence that a vaccine or a combination of any of the shots induces autism. Undoubtedly, the doctor that wrote the article, calling vaccines a “deliberate fraud” ,lost his license for not submitting any evidence of his claim and causing people to neglect shots for that year. Sadly, due to that article, 1 in 4 parents still believe that vaccines are

In today’s society, we believe that everything is up for debate, and that every topic can be opinionated. We like to have the power to make our own choices regardless of facts, just because we feel the pressure of being told what to do. We are lazy to learn the truth, but yet we are ready to choose sides and strongly argue about it. We see it every day on the news, in politics, sports, social media, online forums, school, etc. In his article, “Not Up for Debate: The Science Behind Vaccination”, published in September of 2015, Professor Aaron E. Carroll argues that the issue with vaccinations is more than just choosing to do it or not. Carroll jumps right into his discussion of the “Not up for debate” regarding people’s claims tying vaccines to autism, the choice not to, and officials backing them up. He explains how this argument stems from incorrect information, inadequate studies and research, and poor education about the facts and data about the vaccines, which leads to the stubborn belief that vaccinations should be banned.

Scientific sensationalism does not just water down the conversation surrounding important issues, it can make them dangerous. Because democracies hinge on an informed public, with increasing amounts of sensationalism, this public may be desensitized to genuinely alarming scientific discoveries because the have become acclimated to attention grabbing headlines

Bethany Brookshire, the author of the article “New gene resists our last-ditch drug” found in the Society for Science & the Public, invoked fear and urgency in teen readers fascinated with biology and health. Throughout her article, Brookshire establishes that doctors, farmers, and everyday citizens should be cautious in the use of antibiotics and use methods to limit the spread of harmful bacteria (making the issue personal to the reader). She gains her readers’ attention and trust by quoting information from several scientists in different fields and from different parts of the world. Although her syntax was rigid and overly simplified, Brookshire connects to the teen readers by establishing credibility through an informative tone and effective use of references (her interviews with scientists and the article’s extra features).

In December of 2014, an outbreak of measles, which started in Disneyland, resulted in nearly two hundred people being sickened across the United States, Mexico, and Canada. The highly contagious respiratory disease spread for three months. Among those who contracted the illness, one developed severe pneumonia and multiple organ injury, while another suffered acute respiratory distress syndrome. So, why did an illness, which was purportedly eliminated sixteen years ago, experience a surge so dramatic that it caused more cases in 2014 than in the five preceding years combined? According to the CDC, the outbreak could be boiled down to one simple reason: “The majority of people were unvaccinated.” So while the California measles outbreak is a thing of the past, the fight to increase compliance with vaccinations continues. Although the benefits and safety of vaccinations are undisputed by the medical and scientific community, there are still sizeable groups of “anti-vaxxers” who refuse to vaccinate their children. These groups spread misconceptions, sometimes unknowingly, and become even more influential when coupled with the power of the internet and social media. Therefore, in order to increase compliance with routine vaccinations, the misconceptions of parents should be targeted, and legislation should be changed in order to prevent leniency and loopholes regarding vaccine exemptions.

Neil DeGrasse Tyson once said,”The good thing about science is that it's true whether or not you believe in it.” This most nearly means that science is the ultimate truth without influence from core values and opinions. In order to fix the dysfunctional structure of the American government, voters and politicians must become scientifically literate as new problems, such as climate change and the Zika virus, are emerging. The minority of voters who are scientifically literate understand that science influences politics, now more than ever. In order to better educate voters with scientific concepts, it would be absurd to suggest that students should be exposed to science more rather than students are taught the importance and influential power that science has. In other words, instead of students learning science because they can become a doctor, they are taught how science affects world issues. For example, many teenagers, as well as voters, support the legalization of marijuana strictly because of their lust for euphoria. The majority of these scientifically illiterate marijuana advocates couldn't base their contention for legalization on the scientific research behind the effects of marijuana. If the majority of the electorate can become scientifically enlightened, then voters now have the power to use the truth to dominate politics and fix the dysfunctional structure of the American

The current issue I have selected to discuss is vaccinations. In particular, I will be addressing the anti-vaccination movement that has gained popularity in recent years and the contributing biases that influenced its emergence. One event stands out at as a major contributing factor to the growth of the anti-vaccination movement, the 1998 study by Andrew Wakefield that was published by the English medical journal, Lancet. This study claimed to show a connection between the MMR vaccine and autism. Even though it was just one small study, the media picked it up and it became hugely publicized.

Wherever there is vaccination there is some number of people who oppose it. The first step to identifying a solution to a problem in understanding how it is caused. Public support for vaccinations had been at an all time high of 95%, before the anti-vaccine movement swept across the United States. The new anti-vaccine movement in the United States can be attributed to the wide use of technology to spread ideas,

With all the bad science in the media the general public is often confused as to which are the correct choices. Educating the public to be better consumers of science would improve general health and lower the need for access to healthcare (Pincus, Esther, DeWalt, & Callahan 1998).

However, the idea of an educated public does not imply a public who is educated to the level of all the experts. People who are putting their trust in any kind of establishment, one would hope that they would be able to inform themselves as fully as possible, and this fully as possible often shifts in any way. I find a call for people to be better “empiricists”. People should be intellectually honest and open to diverse sources of evidence, sources that had previously been disallowed for inappropriate reasons. It is the responsibility of the experts to do the informing and upbringing the citizen. Unless we elevate the layperson, society will walk across a margin of potential error, replacing people’s trust in someone who will not cut us out

Populace size and thickness are the two most vital measurements researchers use to depict and comprehend populaces. A populace's size alludes to the quantity of people and it includes. Its thickness is the quantity of people inside a given territory or volume. This information enables researchers to demonstrate the changes of a populace after some time. For instance, a bigger populace might be more steady than a littler populace. With less hereditary variety, a littler populace will have decreased the ability to adjust to ecological changes. People in a low-thickness populace are daintily scattered; thus, they may have more trouble finding a mate contrasted with people in a higher thickness populace. Then again, high-thickness populaces frequently

Other phrases throughout the first four pages use words like "nightmare", "destroy", "haunt", and "anguish" to attract readers to how seriously society takes awareness of science. These phrases get readers to feel the urgency of the views against science in society. The dark phrasing successfully shows that society has taken a responsible view against incorrect scientific application.