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“Like most people, I have almost no scientific training. What I know about scientific research comes from newspapers, magazines, television programs,

and a few ill-remembered high school chemistry classes” (Horn).

There is a tremendous “gap of knowledge” between the public and the scientists. Scientists are considered to be geniuses by most and the science they study is often considered incomprehensible. However, many people are very interested and fascinated by science. Although they may not fully understand what is going on, people are mystified and captivated by science. In a class discussion, Instructor Josh Greenburg said, “I know nothing about veterinary medicine it’s fascinating.” Another example can be seen in the scene when Sydney explains his experiment to Daphney in the street in The Man In The White Suit. He asks Daphney if she knows basic information about science, such as the definition of a molecule. She has a blank look on her face and only knows a vague definition of an atom. Sydney takes what she knows and attempts to explain his entire experiment from there. She looks at him with a mystified look on her face as he passionately explains his idea. She is so amazed by his knowledge and how he is so involved in his work that she goes home later that evening and does research on what she can remember from Sydney’s explanation. This demonstrates her fascination of science. This scene clearly shows the “gap of knowledge” between the public and scientists as well as the fascination the public often has with science. This “gap of knowledge” influences the way scientists act. Scientists are always being represented as geniuses and therefore act as if they know everything. They often feel that they can solve every problem and that they have the answer to every question, and thus in their effort to solve the world’s problems, they make mistakes. However, scientists rarely admit to their mistakes. Instead they find a way to justify their mistake to make it seem like it wasn’t their fault. Due to the “gap”, the public often does not fully understand what the scientists are talking about and cannot voice its opinion. This is a clear instance of the influence society and science have on each other.

The relationship between science and society can be seen in the images of scientists, the public’s reaction to science, and the way scientists act. The film The Man In The White Suit, directed by Alexander Mackendrick, and Making Science out Own: Public Images of Science 1910-1955, by Marcel LaFollette, both deal with this relationship. We as a culture must be conscious of the influence of science. The preconceived notion of what is “ideal” may not still be true today. We can also take notice of the many images of science around us and think about what they really stand for and mean. By doing so we can truly understand the relationship between science and society.

Works Cited

LaFollette, Marcel. Making Science out Own: Public Images of Science 1910-

1955.Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1990.

Dighton, John. The Man in the White Suit. 1951.

Dara Horn, “The Shoulders of Giants.” Science, May 29, 1998.

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