Weighing the Balance of Science Literacy in Education and Public Policy

Science literacy is a concern of educators and policy makers in the United States and all over the world. Science literacy is defined by society and includes important knowledge for individuals that varies with culture and local knowledge systems. The technological societies of the western world have delegated the knowledge that underpins their everyday world to mechanics who know how their cars work, technicians who know how their computers work, and policy wonks who know how their individual choices and actions will affect the environment and their health. The scientific principles that frame and sculpt the technological world are invisible and mysterious to most people. A question for debate is whether or not this is a healthy situation or not, and if not, what to do about it. The panelists shared their prospects and challenges of building science literacy with individuals in the United States and with Tibetan monks. As they discussed their efforts working with these different populations, they shared lessons based on common issues and unique solutions based on local knowledge systems and communities of learners.