Chris Hadfield: 'To me, science is just formalized curiosity'
"This week on the Current we've been talking ... science. Looking, as Joni Mitchell says, from both sides now, up and down, yet still somehow we don't see science clearly. A recent survey touted Canadians as the top in the world at science literacy, and yet, the same survey said that less than half of us, just 42%, can grasp the basic scientific concepts, or understand what's being said when the media's reporting on a science issue. What we've been talking about on The Current is why, and what to do about it."
"To me, science is just formalized curiosity. A way of figuring something out when I don't understand it. The questions my kids asked me - Why is the sky blue? Where does the sound go when it stops? Why is it cold in winter? Kids are scientists by nature, curious about everything. To keep a society like Canada running, we need both the curiosity, and the answers. Why is the polar ice melting? What do we do with all the sewage? Is it possible to live longer? How can we sustainably balance all 7 billion of us on this one planet? Canada is in a position to answer the questions better than most nations on earth. It takes inventive education. It takes inspired leadership. It takes informed discussion, and it takes individual action."
"As this week's guest host I ask you the same question I perpetually ask myself - What can I do to understand this better? And based on that understanding, what action can I take to then help improve things - for myself, for Canadians, and beyond our borders. Curiosity and the science that answers it are the key."
- Commander Chris Hadfield
