By Prof.Kirthi Tennakone
Today marks World Science Day for Peace and Development, proclaimed by the United Nations and celebrated worldwide every 10th of November since 2001. The theme this year emphasises the importance and essentiality of basic science for sustainable development. The year 2022 has been designated as the International Year of Basic Science for Sustainable Development. The aim would be to conduct programmes highlighting the value of basic science in addressing developmental issues.
The premise of basic science
Basic science means examining things and happenings in nature for merely the purpose of inquisitiveness, and thereby correlating different phenomena, seeking explanations. The process leads to hypothesis, the tentative ideas proposed to account for the observations, to be tested by further experimentation. The sequence of arguments and confirming experiments lead to generalisations that we refer to as theories. Theories have explanatory as well as predictive power. They are subjected to continuous scrutiny, attempting refutations as well as confirmations. Unless proved, science doubts even the opinion of a genius. This year, the physics Nobel Prize was awarded to three scientists for showing Einstein was wrong in one of his assertions.
To most of us, the falling apple or coconut and the passage of moon across the sky are two incidental happenings far apart, taken for granted. Curious Isaac Newton, correlated these two happenings and arrived at the theory of gravitation. His theory explained motion of planets and enabled landing of a payload on mars precisely at a specified location. Albert Einstein noted a discrepancy in the Newton’s theory and arrived at a new theory – the general theory of relativity, which fully agreed with the Newton’s theory under ordinary conditions, but accounted for phenomena beyond the capability of the Newton’s version.
The premise of basic science, the scientific method, is the only avenue at our disposal to unravel the secrets of nature. It is a myth to believe nature can be understood by alternative methods. Neither pure logical arguments nor empherical experimentation have succeeded in understanding of the workings of nature. The ancient philosophies of the East and West, thinking exclusively on basis of speculative and idealistic arguments, did not succeed in correlating different observations and rarely paved way for innovations. The empirical technologies of ancient Sri Lanka and elsewhere provided many practically useful applications, but didn’t possess the capacity to explain and correlate the phenomena and make predictions. Contrastingly, modern basic science, with its marvelous explanatory and predictive power, has transformed the world astronomically ahead of empirical technologies.
Basic science is the progenitor of applied science and modern technology. All major technological innovations stand on the roots of basic science, pursued to satisfy human curiosity. Technology cannot thrive without a sound background in basic science.
Today we indispensably rely on electronic appliances, where the primary building block is the transistor. The invention of the transistor precedes more than five decades of basic scientific research, both experimental and theoretical.
The world managed to control the corona virus pandemic because of the previous knowledge gained from studies of viruses and how the human body develops immune responses.
Future threats to human civilisation, whether they are terrestrial or extraterrestrial in origination, will be solved by continuing the science effort. New scientific innovations would eventually solve the energy issues, saving the environment, before its degradation threatens human extinction. The NASA dart mission successfully perturbed the orbit of an asteroid – the first human intervention in planetary dynamics. My granddaughter, having heard the news, said, “It is a consolation, the human species would not suffer the fate of dinosaurs. An asteroid impact seems to have wiped out these reptiles 160 million years ago.
Non-material benefits of science
Laity and policymakers generally see the benefits of science in terms of technological accomplishments. Domestic electronic gadgets, modern communication and transport systems and miracle cures for many diseases attract the general public because of their immense usefulness. Emphasis and promotion of non-material benefits of science are equally important to achieve the goals of sustainable development.
A host of social ills, including wrong political and personal decisions, arise from the absence of rational thinking and evidence- based approach to solving problems. Exposure to basic science and the scientific method educates people to think rationally, seek evidence and act accordingly. Myths and occult beliefs not only harm the individual but collectively damage society and the repair, if possible, would be costly. Quack practitioners prescribe ineffective methods of treatment for illnesses where proven remedies are available. Many people avoid eating certain nutritious food items, saying they are heaty, a meaningless concept, but consume toxic decoctions, believing they are elixirs. Traditional medicine has served humanity for centuries. However, in the light of modern scientific medicine, some prescriptions and arts of treatment are obviously flawed and harmful. Telling the general public, the truth would not be a denigration of these practices. A background and confidence in scientific methodology will help people to realise the fallacy of beliefs related to healing and health. The same applies to numerous other confusions in matters of everyday life with adverse eventualities.
Astronomy – the study of heavenly bodies has revolutionised and sharpened human thinking. Yet, material benefits are few and are spinoffs from technology associated with the discipline. On January 1st 1782, the German philosopher and physicist Lichtenberg wrote in his diary:
“To invent an infallible remedy against toothache, which would take it away in moment, might be as valuable as and more than to discover a new planet, but I do not know how to start the diary of this year with a more important topic than the news of the new planet”
Lichtenberg referred to the discovery of Uranus in 1781, the first planet to be discovered using a telescope. In the above quote he implicitly points out that a fundamental discovery has far reaching implications than finding a solution to a specific problem. In fact, the drug metronidazole efficaciously relieving toothache was discovered accidently – not a product of goal oriented applied research.
Astronomical exploration vitalised the humanity scientifically and intellectually, although the effort was not geared to achieve economic gains via identified projects. The scientific and technological advancement we see today would not have happened if we didn’t look at sky and explore it.
Astronomy deals with phenomena at excessively large scales of length. Today science explores deep into the smallest scales of length, billionth times lesser than atoms and molecules, deriving remarkably successful theories. Nearly 50 years ago, British professor Peter Higgs and two other physicists suggested that an inconsistency in these theories would be resolved, if there exists a new elementary particle later named Higgs boson. The idea was so compelling that the atom smasher, Large Hadron Collider, was constructed by the European Council for Nuclear Research, Geneva (CERN) at a cost of 13 billion US dollars, primarily to find this elusive particle. In 2012, CERN physicists confirmed existence of the Higgs particle.
The Higgs boson would provide nothing of material value. It cannot be used to improve the physical quality of our lives or earn even one cent. Expenditure of 13 billion dollars is warranted, because the finding confirms we are on the right track in our quest for understanding the workings of nature at the deepest level, using methods of basic science. The story of the Higgs boson will motivate curious students worldwide for decades. They, after taking up science, will bring forth new ideas and innovations.
Basic science in Sri Lanka
Our technological performance stands glaringly below that of the affluent nations and even other countries in the region. Policymakers and their advisors blame the education system, saying it doesn’t cater for technology and useless subjects such as arts and humanities are entertained in our schools and universities. As the strategy to remedy the situation, technological courses and programmes have been introduced sacrificing basic science. Technologically oriented faculties, departments and courses mushroom everywhere. New universities have diverted entirely to this theme with little basic science component. So many programs in electronics, research laboratories for nanotechnology and making batteries. Unfortunately, innovations in these areas originate elsewhere. We have a university dedicated for value addition to minerals, but graphite and mineral sands continue to be exported without value addition. We are getting weaker in technological advancement and gap with other nations increasing fast. The programme for technologicalisation of education and research has turned counterproductive! Innovations popup when people are curious and think rationally. For which a thorough background in basic science and exposure to arts and humanities is essential. Innovations need dreaming and imagination. Reading, Guthila Kawya, Arabian Nights and Shakespeare motivate our minds to imagine, without looking at pictures in a screen.
It would be an idiocy to advocate that a nation can achieve technological advancement depending on developed nations for basic scientific knowledge. The American engineer, inventor and science administrator, Vannevar Bush, said: “A nation which depends on others for its new scientific knowledge will be slow in its industrial progress and weak in its competitive position in world trade, regardless of its mechanical skill” . The statement made long time ago, more relevant to us today than ever before.
Applied research demands quicker results and virtually ends on reaching the target. Whereas, basic research never ends and transformative results stem unpredictably. Consequently, basic research is financially supported by respective governments and industrial establishments fund applied research. In Sri Lanka, situation is different, we need to promote industries to support applied research and ensure that basic science is adequately taught and the research component in the theme not neglected.
A primary responsibility of universities is introducing basic science to students rigorously and engaging in research in the same theme to generate new knowledge. To avoid the burden of teaching and working on applied issues demanding quicker results, most countries have also established institutions devoted to basic science or fundamental studies. These institutions, generally funded by the government, employ a group of best brains to engage in intellectual inquiry. Sri Lanka has been one of the first few countries in Asia to plan setting-up an institution for basic scientific research- the Institute of Fundamental Studies. Unfortunately, the institute has heavily deviated from the intended theme, indulging in applied issues, more appropriately pursued elsewhere. Rectifying the deviation or creating an alternative organisation to cater for cutting – edge fundamental research is an urgent priority. Sri Lanka should not isolate and remain indifferent to frontier advanced research.
We have to promote the dissemination of the concepts of basic science and their findings to the general public and students. To most people in our country, importance of science means, only a requirement to enter the medical and engineering streams in the universities- for them science is only an avenue leading to a profession. Science is taught and tutored for that purpose, not as intellectual pursuit.
. Those who teach, tutor and learn science; resort to superstition and occultism. When curious children question the rationality behind religious practices, parents and teachers warn and condition them to accept things for which there is no evidence or logic.
Sri Lanka has invested in science education, research and science promotion programs, thinking engagement in applied science with little emphasis on basic science would lead to economic advancement via technological innovations. Evidently, the policy has not worked, we continue to remain technologically backward. Sri Lanka needs to reform education and research to strengthen basic science.