Misconceptions about science must be eradicated
27.03.2022 /Taking into account the importance of science in the development of society, the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Mr. Ilham Aliyev signed a decree on the annual celebration of "Science Day" in the Republic of Azerbaijan on March 27. Science Day has been celebrated in Azerbaijan for four years now.
Science and education are among the key priorities of the state policy in our country. This is evidenced by the consistent attention paid to this area by the head of state, important steps and decisions taken to preserve scientific and technical potential, train highly qualified personnel in the field of science and education, and raise the prestige of science workers in society.
It is already an undeniable fact that science and scientists play an important role in creating a well-rounded, sustainable society. Regular raising of public awareness of scientific advances and the public's participation in these processes is a very important issue.
The fundamental changes that have occurred in recent years in the life of our country, diversification and dynamic development of the economy have in one way or another affected all spheres of society, including science and education. Achievements of Azerbaijani scientists are integrated into international scientific bases and Azerbaijan has moved up significantly in the international scientific ranking table. A number of successful projects have been consistently implemented in the field of education.
In some cases, however, these changes are also accompanied by a number of problems. Because scientific activity has its own specific characteristics, the processes that take place in this field and the discussions surrounding them are not fully understood by the general public. People sometimes have misconceptions about the field. It is regrettable to note that there are also attempts to identify with specific events scientists who have devoted their scientific and conscious lives solely to the advancement of science, and to demean them.
Science has always held an important place in the history of mankind. Nevertheless, for a long time it could not have a significant impact on the socio-economic development of society. The development of science occurred independently of society's needs. As a result of extensive economic development, for a long time production and society showed inertia in mastering scientific and technological innovations. And in the second half of the twentieth century fundamental discoveries in physics, mathematics, chemistry, biology, new technologies and informatics not only changed the world around us, but also had a huge impact on the transformation of science, production, economy, ecology and politics. Science has begun to play a guiding role in shaping social and economic policy. The development of molecular biology, genetics, biotechnology, cybernetics, the creation of a new generation of computers, nanotechnology, mechatronics, and the emergence of the Internet indicate that more dramatic leaps will occur in the coming decades. The 4th Industrial Revolution is on our doorstep.
Science is a complex, hierarchical, non-linear and far from equilibrium part of the social system. Like other systems, science is characterized by a number of crucial parameters that ensure its development.
Each state builds its own science and technology policy for the normal development of science. A characteristic feature of modern science is that it is costly. It has been established that the level of economic, social and cultural development of any country depends primarily on the level of science and education. Therefore, science and education are the main factors for the survival of a modern state.
Modern science and technology are mainly aimed at increasing the efficiency of productive forces, reducing the material and energy intensity of production, saving raw materials and energy resources, and facilitating human labor. And further development of science will be aimed at creating the highest technologies that can be used in all spheres of production, economy, social life, ecology, healthcare and education. Thus, in the third millennium, science will be the main factor determining the welfare of the population, its health and, consequently, the position of the country in the world.
So what should be done to increase the effectiveness of scientific research to make it a crucial factor in improving people's standard of living?
This is a question closely related to a country's economy, the state of its production. First of all, there must be a demand for scientific results. If there is no demand for scientific results, there is a sharp decline in the intellectual and technical potential, a decrease in the level and quality of education, professional training of working population. Mastering of high technologies becomes impossible.
Development of science at the present stage is characterized not only by the updating of methodology of scientific research, but also by the search for new organizational and managerial forms, increasing the efficiency of organization and management of scientific activity in order to reorient it to solve socio-economic issues, improving the application of scientific knowledge and technology.
Today special attention should be paid to innovation activity. Priorities of scientific and technical activity, forms and mechanisms of financing of science should be changed, the structure of the market of scientific and technical products should be improved and its geography should be expanded.
Mechanisms of implementation of scientific and technical developments should be based on the formation of socially oriented market economy declared in our country. The totality of these mechanisms should constitute the essence of innovation policy, which will replace the system of implementation used in research institutes and design-technological organizations that have been developing for decades under the aegis of the state. First of all, we must "privatize" the results we have obtained, i.e., obtain copyright documents. Then we must try to make sure that our scientific results are commercialized and presented on the market. And the market has its own laws. Administrative methods do not work there. The state should facilitate this process as much as possible through its decisions and structural reforms.
Sometimes we are faced with the question: is there a need to engage in fundamental research when financial resources are limited? Maybe science should solve problems of economy?
The world's scientists are unanimous in their opinion that solving the contradictions between the high level of technical development and the level of socio-economic, political, and moral organization of human society largely depends on the success of basic science. Fundamental science is the source of new knowledge and the information basis for overcoming global crises. The results of fundamental research are the basis of knowledge used by specialists in concrete areas of social life.
With what results did mankind enter the third millennium, what new achievements did human will and consciousness accomplish, what social, man-made and ecological cataclysms may await the civilization in the new century? Is it possible to avoid these cataclysms? These questions worry the world community.
Yes, science should and must solve the important problems facing the economy. But this is not the main thing. Advanced science should not follow the footsteps of practice, in its tracks, it itself should open new directions in the development of civilization and innovate our lives. If science were to develop within the narrow confines of practice, humanity would not have found ways to use atomic energy. Therefore, it is important to increase the role of fundamental theoretical research.
There are different forms of organization of fundamental science in the world. In Azerbaijan and other post-Soviet countries, the main centers of fundamental scientific research were traditionally national academies of sciences and it is fair to say that they handled this task well. The establishment of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences in 1945 and its activities led to the creation of a number of authoritative scientific schools and an army of scientists in Azerbaijan. The Academy preserved its purity even in the most difficult times, did not change the principles of its activity, actively participated in economic, political and social life of the country, stood by the state and statehood. In various international forums it is considered appropriate to preserve and strengthen such academies. But it is necessary to organize the activities of the academies in accordance with the requirements of our time, to achieve an organic unity of science and education in content, to gradually erase the boundary between scientific institutions and universities.
Currently, the cooperation between the ANAS and universities is implemented by involving the scientists of the Academy in the research and pedagogical activities in universities, organizing practical training of students, using the personnel potential and material-technical base of the Academy for the implementation of graduate and diploma works and dissertations. It is important to expand this cooperation, to introduce its new forms and methods, and to further increase its efficiency. Conducting joint fundamental and applied research within the framework of research programs and projects, as well as writing new curricula, textbooks and scientific monographs in the native language for university students is one of the most important tasks.
Training highly qualified professionals for successful research is a very important task. There are also a number of challenges in this area, and these challenges depend on many factors. First of all, there must be a scientifically based forecast of the demand for highly qualified specialists. Creating forecasts is a multi-parametric, complex task that impacts the interests of all industries and agencies, as well as all segments of society. Thus, the training of highly qualified specialists is a long and costly process. The benefit of a particular specialist becomes apparent after 30-40 years of educational and scientific activity. Therefore, there is a great need to establish a proper level of interdisciplinary coordination of the training of highly qualified specialists.
I am not going to list other problems one by one, because the science and education community is well aware of them. Analysis of these problems shows that to solve them it is important to improve the management of science and education. To this end, special attention should be paid to the training of competent managers. It is sometimes not enough to have a degree or academic title. The work of a manager is, above all, creativity, and this creativity is associated with special qualities that cannot be sufficiently formed by the educational process, except for a number of formal actions and procedures. It is important to regularly evaluate the effectiveness of managers. This can be implemented in various ways, such as the certification of managers, monitoring their activities, etc.
And now I would like to draw attention to one of the main motives for celebrating Science Day in our country—the popularization of science. I would also like to recall that UNESCO declared November 10 as World Science Day for Peace and Development back in 2001, and it is celebrated annually. Its goal too is to popularize science, increase its role at the international and national levels, increase the impact of science for peaceful and sustainable development of the society, and raise the prestige of scientists in the society.
At various scientific organizational events, including meetings of the Presidium of the ANAS, scientists talk about the importance of popularizing scientific achievements and stress that at present this work is carried out very inadequately. This raises the question: does science really need publicity?
At first glance it seems that there is no need to prove that the role of science in the development of society is very important. But society must feel that science is not an area that only requires funding. Society should understand that science is a productive force, and even the most resource-rich states cannot build a decent future for their people without science. Important decisions and legislative acts, state policy as a whole must be based on science. The reality is that at present there is very little interaction between scientific institutions and the day-to-day activities of the relevant government agencies and other economic entities. Scientists do not or cannot participate directly in solving scientific and technical problems.
There is so much talk nowadays about the scientific and technological revolution, the increasing popularity of technology, and the impact of science on progress, that the need to popularize science is already obvious. Nevertheless, never before have there been such misconceptions about science as now, nor have such unfounded judgments been made about it. Popularization of science therefore remains an important social problem. For a variety of reasons, the general public has distorted perceptions of science. Targeted work needs to be done to eliminate them.
The history of science is an integral part of human history. Why is there so much talk about technology and so little about science? When talking about the many technical tools, it is unfair not to say anything about the science that made them possible.
The main purpose of popularizing science is to explain the scientific results obtained, to show its role in society. Many people consider the existence of phenomena and things whose origin they do not know to be normal and natural. It all seems to them to be part of a universe that has always existed. A modern child looks at a television set, a car, a computer, a cell phone the same way as he or she looks at a tree, a cat, and the moon. It seems to them that these technical devices have always existed. They cannot distinguish between what is man-made and what is created by nature. A person can spend a lifetime reading various books, but know nothing about the scientific advances that allowed humanity to go into space. They may not even know about simpler things, for example, destructive natural phenomena such as floods and storms, and how science makes it possible to predict their consequences.
The truth is, society is in contact with technical means, not with scientific advances. There is a socioeconomic filter between scientific advances and their concrete application.
When we talk about increasing wheat yields, we should also remember the work of breeders and geneticists. When we talk about reducing mortality, we must also talk about medical science that fights disease. It is impossible to imagine the development of aviation without advances in radiolocation, computer science, and automation. The emergence of all these tools was made possible by the development of fundamental research.
Another purpose of popularizing science is to explain how scientific advances can be implemented, how to conduct scientific research, and how scientists work. Scientific research poses a number of requirements for scientists. The danger of error necessitates experimental verification. This applies to all areas of science, including mathematics. Scientists experiment, investigate, make mistakes, and start over. Of course, these insights are different from the knowledge we get from educational institutions. There we are not taught the process of creating science, but the ready-made science.
Demonstrating the cultural function of science is important in the popularization of science. Science is as much a part, a branch of culture as music and painting.
Popular science literature and educational lectures help to some extent to overcome a specialist's narrow focus.
Promotion of scientific knowledge is also necessary so that society knows what scientists are working on. This increases the likelihood of support for researchers who have been working for years (sometimes decades) to solve topical problems of social life.
The popularization of scientific knowledge can play an important role in attracting young people to research. Tomorrow's scientific potential of the country depends on who comes into science today, and this is what determines the might of each state.
Every scientist should remember the importance of popularizing science and that it is part of their job. True scientists should always consider it their immediate duty and responsibility to promote scientific knowledge, to educate the people. This, in turn, can put a barrier in front of those who engage in "pseudoscience" and those who disseminate and promote it.
Popularization of science as a useful activity and knowledge dissemination system is not only the publication of books, magazines and other means. Popular science movies, radio and television broadcasts on scientific topics have as much influence on the mass audience as books, articles, and magazines. But the concept of "popularization of science" does not end there. It also includes oral and visual promotion: mass scientific events, exhibitions, museum activities, etc.
Scientific information and the popularization of science are finding increasingly more common ground. Scientific and technological progress has not only expanded the topics of popular science literature in recent decades, but also dictated the emergence of new types of this literature. Above all, there must be new literature that promotes the achievements of science, explaining the meaning of new discoveries and their social implications. We need more specialists who, on a par with professional scientists, know science, its ideas and methods, trends, its strengths, are able to assess scientific programs and priorities. It is advisable to further develop scientific journalism and scientific journalism, to improve the skills and professional training of specialists working in scientific publications through the effective use of the capabilities of modern information technologies. Reliable and high-quality scientific information itself is part of science.
I hope that scientists working at the ANAS and universities, as well as public and political figures will take an objective position in discussions on the development of science and education in our country on the basis of a single concept and will act in a purposeful way. I am confident that this, in turn, will greatly help eradicate misconceptions about science in each member of society.
Happy Science Day!
Aminaga Sadigov, Executive Director of the Institute of Control Systems, Corresponding Member of ANAS