Kosmos ~ Chapter 1 Discussion

The Gift that Keeps on Giving… I’m torn by the title of this chapter itself. It’s so hard for me, as an English major (who happens to be anti math and anti science) to wrap my mind around the idea that science is a gift. In all honesty, if I received the gift of “science,” just like the many variations of Christmas sweaters that I receive from my grandmother each year, I’d pray that it came with a gift receipt and I’d return it as soon as possible. However, after reflecting on the contents of the chapter and really considering the extent to which science influences my personal life, I have to say that I (clearing my throat) agree with the author.

Science is a gift to mankind—a gift, nonetheless, that has the potential to forever change the world for the better just as it has the potential to forever change the world for the worse. For this reason, we must take the initiative to better understand the science (even if we don’t get all of the technicalities behind it) that is so intricately interweaved throughout all of our daily lives. With this understanding comes a better existence whether we decide to embrace wholeheartedly or reject completely this “gift that keeps on giving.”

The importance of this greater understanding of science is especially true on college campuses today. Think of the amount of alcohol consumed by college students daily. Now consider the naïve and irresponsible justifications that so many college students use to rationalize getting behind the wheel of their car after drinking. They think because they’ve drank x amount of beers, gotten behind the wheel, and made it home safely consistently in the past that they have their personal alcohol consumption down to a science. Unfortunately, this is not true science and their mistake could cost a life—their own or that of an innocent bystander who was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. You see, we don’t have to understand all of the technicalities behind science but we do need a general understanding of what is and what isn’t science in our daily lives.