"Creativity is often associated with artists, poets and authors, but not necessarily with scientists and certainly not with practitioners. Yet, creativity is at the heart of good science and resource management. Scientists must think creatively about problems, use creative inventions to study them, and explore creative ways to interpret and communicate their findings. Practitioners must think creatively to solve environmental problems, use creative means to engage stakeholders and develop creative means of communicating to the public. Finally, virtue is an attribute that is perhaps the most essential element of both studying and solving problems. Although virtuosity is usually associated with moral values and societal interactions, it is actually an attribute that combines the wisdom of knowing what needs to be done with the courage to tackle the most difficult and seemingly intractable problems. In the words of the naturalist and scientist David Starr Jordan, ‘‘Wisdom is knowing what to do next, virtue is doing it’’ (Jordan, 1902)."
-Dennison WC 2008.
I felt I needed to post this because I think some of the problem with all of the climate, vaccines, and other controversies, and the growing anti-intellectual attitude in this country stems from this notion that scientists are not regular people. That we are antisocial, awkward, and unfeeling. That we only care about our work and have no "real" lives. I was astonished as a young undergraduate when a professor, from another lab, joined our meeting brought beer and said 'fuck' numerous times. Even I, who has always loved science and looks like a Trader Joe's employee, had entrenched this vision of stuffy, old people in my head when I thought about scientists. Some scientist are like that sure, but so are lots of non-scientists. Perhaps if we somehow humanized ourselves in the eyes of the public, they would trust us more. May be scientists should redefine ourselves as more of a civil servant, rather than a cold, data creating machine....
-Dennison WC 2008.
I felt I needed to post this because I think some of the problem with all of the climate, vaccines, and other controversies, and the growing anti-intellectual attitude in this country stems from this notion that scientists are not regular people. That we are antisocial, awkward, and unfeeling. That we only care about our work and have no "real" lives. I was astonished as a young undergraduate when a professor, from another lab, joined our meeting brought beer and said 'fuck' numerous times. Even I, who has always loved science and looks like a Trader Joe's employee, had entrenched this vision of stuffy, old people in my head when I thought about scientists. Some scientist are like that sure, but so are lots of non-scientists. Perhaps if we somehow humanized ourselves in the eyes of the public, they would trust us more. May be scientists should redefine ourselves as more of a civil servant, rather than a cold, data creating machine....
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