We've all played the 'What if?' game, usually with historical events...What if Lincoln hadn't been assassinated, or what if the barbarians never invaded Rome? I'd like to propose a here-and-now version. Pick an event or situation that, in your mind, would have a significant impact on modern society. Naturally, you can reply in whatever form you like, but I think it would be fun to make the proposal in a 'What if' form, and then list some consequences you think might arise. I'll start to give an idea of what I mean.
What if scientists were accorded the same level of adulation as pop stars?
1. Tickets to science lectures would soar, both in price and demand. They'd be given away as prizes on call-in radio shows.
2. Applications to university technical courses would flood admissions offices, as teens would want to be like their idols.
3. Television programmes like 'The Voice' and 'Britain's Got Talent' would be replaced by 'The Brain' and 'Britain's Got Smarts'. Prizes would be university scholarships. The ratings would be impressive.
4. Uncritical acceptance of woo would drop like a paralyzed falcon, as more and more schools made Critical Thinking a requirement.
5. Research grants would greatly increase in size and number.
6. A good few of the problems facing our planet (pollution, climate change, etc) would be solved sooner rather than later.
Boru
What if scientists were accorded the same level of adulation as pop stars?
1. Tickets to science lectures would soar, both in price and demand. They'd be given away as prizes on call-in radio shows.
2. Applications to university technical courses would flood admissions offices, as teens would want to be like their idols.
3. Television programmes like 'The Voice' and 'Britain's Got Talent' would be replaced by 'The Brain' and 'Britain's Got Smarts'. Prizes would be university scholarships. The ratings would be impressive.
4. Uncritical acceptance of woo would drop like a paralyzed falcon, as more and more schools made Critical Thinking a requirement.
5. Research grants would greatly increase in size and number.
6. A good few of the problems facing our planet (pollution, climate change, etc) would be solved sooner rather than later.
Boru
‘But it does me no injury for my neighbour to say there are twenty gods or no gods. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg.’ - Thomas Jefferson
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