On 6/3/05 1:32 PM, Dirk Van Tuerenhout's electrons arrived as:

> The challenge coming from creationists and ID proponents is real. Anyone
> thinking differently is sadly mistaken.  I think we all know that.
> However, where do we go from here?

GOOD question.

Sadly, science outreach is one of the first victims of budget stress, and I
know of at least one major science university presently slashing way back on
outreach activities for exactly that reason.  In some sense, science is a
victim of its own success -- it has permeated our lives and our world view
to the extent that some religious orthodoxies can no longer bear.  Further,
it is apparent to all that the rate of scientific progress is accelerating
exponentially -- and this makes even more frantic the backlash against
science by those who fear its impact on religious belief will be permanently
damaging if not stopped.

There's a tendency to dismiss these sorts of culture clashes as cyclical --
we had the Scopes trial in 1925 and science survived, and now we're just
going through the same thing for our own time.  But personally, I find the
fact that science is so broadly misunderstood even after several generations
have been exposed to it through education, medicine, exploration, and
discoveries, to be ominous.  Somehow the message has not been getting
through -- or what's getting through isn't connecting.

Maybe it's not so surprising, though, when you think about it.  Not to paint
all religious organizations or believers with the same broad brush -- as I
know some are completely in step with the advance of science as science and
faith as faith, and I applaud such individuals and organizations.  But in
general, churches and other faith-based groups are to some greater or lesser
degree inherently evangelical -- a significant part of the purpose being to
gather increasing numbers into the fold.  They're very good at it, and
they've had a long time to get good at it.  Science is virtually zero
percent evangelical by comparison -- more like a single big monastery.
Preachers and priests, thousands or millions of them, for the most part
don't do theology -- they do outreach.  Scientists, thousands or millions of
them, for the most part don't do outreach -- they just do science.  There's
no comparable Sunday morning ritualistic tradition  for science, so there's
no question of who's doing a better job getting the word out.

There are, however, some wonderful new immersive display technologies being
used to engage new audiences for science -- the Natural History Museum here
in Los Angeles has presented two such interactive exhibitions in the last
year -- "Light/Motion/Dreams" about the ecology of Southern California, and
"Collapse?" based on Jared Diamond's book about environmental issues
contributing to the fall of civilizations
(http://www.nhm.org/exhibitions/collapse/).  These experience-based
exhibitions can hopefully reach audiences effectively by using a
technological language that resonates better in today's competitive
media-space than the dusty old dioramas (which I love) and static displays
of a bygone era.  Virtual Reality, when it really gets going, also holds
great promise for attracting and connecting with audience.  In my own
gallery I've developed shows at the intersection of art and science, like
NEURO, a collaboration between artists and Caltech scientists
(http://www.artandscience.us).  Museums in their public programs, while in
no way discarding the authority and thrill of presenting actual objects,
need to exploit new technologies of virtual interactive display in order to
capture the imagination and attention of their audiences -- and to convey
content effectively.

That's one thought I have about where we can "go from here."  The other is
to simply take a stand whenever possible, such as in the case of the
Smithsonian controversy, for the integrity of science and to be proactive
about using whatever bully-pulpit our professions provide.



_____________________________________
S t e p h e n    N o w l i n

http://xrl.us/stephennowlin

Vice President,Director,
Alyce de Roulet Williamson Gallery
Art Center College of Design
1700 Lida Street
Pasadena, CA 91103
626.396.2397
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http://www.williamsongallery.net
http://www.artandscience.us
http://www.pasadena-culture.net
_____________________________________

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