WASHINGTON — The hundreds of thousands of people who rallied on the National Mall and in cities worldwide for the March for Science in April came to be noticed. It was a march meant to demonstrate enthusiasm and political clout, and by those measures, organizers believe they succeeded.
But as two dozen of them met in New York the following month for a debrief, they faced an obvious reality: A grass-roots organization that was quickly formed to plan a singular event was not, at least immediately, equipped for far-reaching and long-term science advocacy.
About the Author Reprints
Apologize for coming so late to this thread.
But may have the advantage of stimulating a renewal of interest.
How about making the March an annual global event?
How about a National Science Day?
How about the following slogan:
Bring Science to the People, and People to the Science!
e.g. Through open days at Universities, Institutes, and Schools.
Really hope that we can keep this initiative alive.
It ain’t over yet folks!
[I’m a scientist – let me in there!]
This is perhaps he most important turning point in science for centuries, and there can be only on long term for his emerging movement. That is to resurect the original and most compelling goal of science, which is also the strongest justification and support for science … to relentlessly and indefatigably pursue knowledge and application in society of the unity of nature.
Western science has been weakened by separation from society, some believing that it should not comment on policy or priorities. This false belief has led to isolation, and now disparagement of science. Also modern trends to pluralize science with purely instrumental views without a genuine and committed eye to integration, has fed the current societal epidemic of “post truth”. The new science movement must firmly commit itself to full and complete relevancy to so iety, even as that requires us to embrace broader concepts and all sources of knowledge, including both observation and subjective experience, aimed at relating these in theories that apply directly to society and life. Policy has assertively invaded the sanctuary of science, and the only appropriate response is for science to broaden its scope and resume its rightful place at the core of science, in conflict with nothing but untruth.
Last sentence “at thr core of society”
We have the people. People want to achieve advancements in leaps and bounds; not slow and steady. Single payer. No CARBON smoke stacks or forest burning (see the new film BURNED). Notice when the people came out; the Science March, the Climate March, the Education Rally, the so-called Free Speech demonstration and the Women’s March. These are generic and spontaneous. These things are not managed by any specific organization. Young Americans are bypassing the middlemen. They have the Internet. They know how to act.
The spontaneous demonstration against fake free speech surprised me. I don’t live in Boston. I live in western Massachusetts. That protest was so sudden that even with Google Alert I missed it. A ” lot more progress a lot faster” is how it is done. Evolution comes in fits and starts. Just because some can’t see this does not mean it is not happening.