My Philosophy on Education as a Biologist
“Science
does not know its debt to imagination.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
Science is everywhere in today’s world. It is part of our daily lives, from cooking and walking, to cleaning and comprehending the daily weather report, to reading a map and using a computer. Advances in technology and science are transforming our world at an incredible pace and our children’s future will surely be filled with leaps in technology we can only imagine. Being “science literate” will no longer be just an advantage but an absolute necessity. We can’t escape from the significance of science in our world. But not everyone understands that, or has been taught to think critically, or been provided with the tools to analyze and test a problem or situation. From Plato, to Galileo, to Darwin, to Steven Hawking, and to Richard Dawkins, it is now my duty to spread the true words of science. All these philosophers and scientists have influenced and inspired me to evolve into a philosopher and teacher myself: one who will spread words of scientific knowledge and discoveries to my Glaucons of my own Republic. I chose Biology as a subject to teach because I am so incredibly passionate about it and I must share this passion because biology provides rationale answers for so many questions.
Biology or more specifically the sciences in general tie into broader social and ethical issues. For example, living in a society where religion is at the foundation of our life, I must firstly state that science and religion will always be in a war to answer the question of what it means to be human. For instance, creationists believe that a consciousness is what defines humans and that it has a mystical aspect (i.e. a soul), but in reality, consciousness stems out of our central nervous system. As scientific research constantly reveals new answers to the questions of life, religion merely pulls society backwards to conservative traditions with no new answers to explain the natural world. Therefore, I want to teach the sciences so I can share knowledge of the natural world in order for my students to gain the scientific answers to the questions they ask themselves regarding the mechanisms of life. I want them to learn to question life and do scientific research to find those answers. Deities have been grounded in society as the answer to life’s questions and with new scientific discoveries occurring daily, society must be made aware of the new answers to life’s pressing questions.
Separating the truth for mumbo-jumbo is an additional reason why science is important. The youth of today are constantly fed information through various media ranging from the television, to computers, and radios and it is important to be able to critically analyze the information from a scientific point of view. Reports on 2012, what foods are good for you or not, paranormal activity, weight loss methods, etc, are all topics which peak into society’s curiosity and what must be realized is that some of these reports speak the truth but many others are scams. Having a solid scientific background can indeed separate the true information from the those looking to increase their headlines with lies.
Biology is a science concerned with the study of life and biological systems including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, and ecological distribution. I deem that this vast subject is a crucial subject of study because it is one of those fundamental subjects that creep into everyday life. Look at global warming, MMR vaccine, and Bird Flu; all these problems affect biological systems like humans and it is important to understand our response to these changes and how our environment respond to us to propose proper technological solutions. Teaching Biology at the high school level is only the beginning in preparing the youth to cure HIV, cancer, and Alzheimer’s; it’s the start to saving the world. Biology is an ongoing human endeavor, to which one day, I hope my students will contribute. My role as a teacher is important because the appreciation of science begins in the classroom and it is my goal to share my knowledge of the sciences with my students so they can further continue the quest to answer life’s questions; thereby allowing them to literally reach for the stars.
Science is everywhere in today’s world. It is part of our daily lives, from cooking and walking, to cleaning and comprehending the daily weather report, to reading a map and using a computer. Advances in technology and science are transforming our world at an incredible pace and our children’s future will surely be filled with leaps in technology we can only imagine. Being “science literate” will no longer be just an advantage but an absolute necessity. We can’t escape from the significance of science in our world. But not everyone understands that, or has been taught to think critically, or been provided with the tools to analyze and test a problem or situation. From Plato, to Galileo, to Darwin, to Steven Hawking, and to Richard Dawkins, it is now my duty to spread the true words of science. All these philosophers and scientists have influenced and inspired me to evolve into a philosopher and teacher myself: one who will spread words of scientific knowledge and discoveries to my Glaucons of my own Republic. I chose Biology as a subject to teach because I am so incredibly passionate about it and I must share this passion because biology provides rationale answers for so many questions.
Biology or more specifically the sciences in general tie into broader social and ethical issues. For example, living in a society where religion is at the foundation of our life, I must firstly state that science and religion will always be in a war to answer the question of what it means to be human. For instance, creationists believe that a consciousness is what defines humans and that it has a mystical aspect (i.e. a soul), but in reality, consciousness stems out of our central nervous system. As scientific research constantly reveals new answers to the questions of life, religion merely pulls society backwards to conservative traditions with no new answers to explain the natural world. Therefore, I want to teach the sciences so I can share knowledge of the natural world in order for my students to gain the scientific answers to the questions they ask themselves regarding the mechanisms of life. I want them to learn to question life and do scientific research to find those answers. Deities have been grounded in society as the answer to life’s questions and with new scientific discoveries occurring daily, society must be made aware of the new answers to life’s pressing questions.
Separating the truth for mumbo-jumbo is an additional reason why science is important. The youth of today are constantly fed information through various media ranging from the television, to computers, and radios and it is important to be able to critically analyze the information from a scientific point of view. Reports on 2012, what foods are good for you or not, paranormal activity, weight loss methods, etc, are all topics which peak into society’s curiosity and what must be realized is that some of these reports speak the truth but many others are scams. Having a solid scientific background can indeed separate the true information from the those looking to increase their headlines with lies.
Biology is a science concerned with the study of life and biological systems including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, and ecological distribution. I deem that this vast subject is a crucial subject of study because it is one of those fundamental subjects that creep into everyday life. Look at global warming, MMR vaccine, and Bird Flu; all these problems affect biological systems like humans and it is important to understand our response to these changes and how our environment respond to us to propose proper technological solutions. Teaching Biology at the high school level is only the beginning in preparing the youth to cure HIV, cancer, and Alzheimer’s; it’s the start to saving the world. Biology is an ongoing human endeavor, to which one day, I hope my students will contribute. My role as a teacher is important because the appreciation of science begins in the classroom and it is my goal to share my knowledge of the sciences with my students so they can further continue the quest to answer life’s questions; thereby allowing them to literally reach for the stars.
Why is Science Important? from Alom Shaha on Vimeo.
