C.S.I.? Forensics, Here I come!

 

With a life- long interest in the stars and planets that hover above us, Carl Sagan not only contributed to the science world as an astrophysicist, but also a person who did everything he possibly could to aid the progression of public interest in the various aspects of science world-wide. To put his best foot forward, Sagan used the supposedly best means to attain the interest of people regardless of their ages- television. Through his numerous appearances on The Tonight Show as well as his famous show, “Cosmos” that premiered during the 1980’s, he was able to grab the attention of millions in not only the United States, but also over 50 other countries. Using his ethos, or authority, as a best-selling Pulitzer Prize- winning author, Sagan also used books for his readers such as the book, “Cosmos” to accompany his show as well as his company, Carl Sagan Productions. Through all of this, he defended his efforts with his idea of the obligations scientists have to the public in regards to explaining what science is all about. Two of these obligations could be purely for self-interest, as well as the public being able to know what they’re contributing to when they are spending their money on scientific funding. With all of this information slowly creeping out into the open, the only thing missing was an audience to witness the facts being adhered in Sagan’s various outlets of media.
As Sagan ended his television show in 1990, science related programming became a new trend in American society. Some of the most popular shows that have been suggested as propaganda for scenarios that occur with these occupations introduces the forensic aspects of the world to the public. For example, C.S.I. or crime scene investigators have gained the interests of young adults to the elderly who enjoy a good investigation or the drama that entices many to gasp at what may happen after the commercials. C.S.I.: Miami happens to be one of the shows of the series that focuses on using and analyzing physical evidence to prove what can be found in a crime scene to help convict someone guilty of a crime. The head of this team of investigators is Lieutenant Horatio “H” Caine who usually carries the responsibility of saying the catchy phrases as he provides a sense of security to his team and the next possible victims of a murderer/felon. Among the numerous actors that appear on this show, Horatio is assisted by his second in command and trusted friends Det. Eric Delko as well as Dr. Alex Woods who assists in the investigations with her consistent lab work as the medical examiner. The mix of gruesome murders as well as the reoccurring drama that happens between the main characters and the lives they are responsible for helps gravitate the audience to take further interest in the ways they do so – forensic science.
In regards to the pros of watching, this show helps encourage its audience of possibly pursuing this field because it intertwines the aspects of being a scientist with an occupation that services the community, such as a policeman/woman in this case, as the characters work for Miami- Dade Police Department (M.D.P.D.). On the other hand, the directors have used visual rhetoric to distract the audience from noticing the lack of effort that they put into making sure majority of the audience absorbs something informational about forensic science from the script. As a result of the over-simplifying method that has reached a “craze” stage recently in the media, C.S.I.: Miami has also suffered as it became negligent of actually displaying the work as well as the processes necessary to reach the point of analyzing body tissue, fingerprints, etc. that may help solve a crime in order to meet the 45- minute mark. What takes the place of this missing piece? Elegantly shot photos of labs and technology that seem to be performing a task, when in reality, such devices do not have much use.

“Why We Need to Understand Science”

The audience in old generation may know a popular host of television series called “Cosmos”. Carl Sagan (1934-1996), an influential astronomer and astrophysicist, contributed to popularize science knowledge in American society.As what I read in the article “Why We Need to Understand Science” by Carl Sagan, he explains the importance of science and gives suggestions about the emphasis of science. In my opinion, his intended audience which includes parents, government officers and scientists will be alert for the phenomenon of scientific illiteracy.

In the beginning of article, Carl attracts readers’ attention by speaking out a personal experience. On his way to a conference, he had a talk with an interviewer who seemed has passion on science. Unfortunately, like most ordinary Americans this interviewer was interested in pseudoscience not in real science. So, what is the real science? Science is not just helpful in the manufacture of scaring nuclear weapons. In fact, science not only boosts prosperity but also is responsible for a long-term consequences of technology. Thus, Carl believes that it is crucial for public to deepen their understanding of science, especially when some statistics show about the backward mathematics ability of Americans compared to other countries’ students.

Carl Sagan lists several reasons why science could not be emphasized. One essential reason is due to the lack of science teachers. The second reason is that few benefits come from with a science relative job. However, people do not notice the negative impact on economy, as industries have less laborers who master math knowledge.

For solving this problems, he figured out some favorable advice. First of all, he appeals people do not discriminate women, nonwhites, and immigrants who are skilled workers. In addition to universities, rising salaries for teaching, requiring science class before graduation; providing the financial and moral encouragement for academic scientists are recommended. Moreover, he suggests media can make some effort to inspire young people with science content. Last but not least, proper education of a family is critical for children to develop their understanding and curiosity to science.

After reading this article, I am persuaded to pay more attention on science. However, nowadays the United States has received superior achievement in science and there are more and more students come here to study science. I think if Carl were still alive, he might less worry about this issue. After all, this article was written in 1980s based on the situation at past time. But whenever the date is, I agree with what Carl said that “science is much more than a body of knowledge. It is a way of thinking.”

 

Sagan’s “Why we need to understand science”

Carl Sagan was born on November ninth 1934 in Brooklyn, New York. He was an astronomer, astrophysicist and author who tried to popularize science. In Sagan early years he showed great academic potential in school that he was awarded a scholarship to attend the University of Chicago. He received a bachelor’s degree in physics in 1955, a master’s degree also in physics in 1956 , and a doctorate in astronomy and astrophysics in 1960 all in Chicago. Sagan also lectured in Harvard and in Cornell, he also published on many different topics like interplanetary meteorology to the origins of life on Earth. He is also very well known for the series the cosmos that aired on PBS. http://www.giffordlectures.org/Author.asp?AuthorID=233

In ‘why we need to understand science’Sagan claims that science is important and necessary, but that at that time (1989) most Americans were scientifically illiterate . He mentions that people confuse science with pseudoscience and gives a personal experience about his driver that keep asking him questions of pseudoscience. Sagan argues that society depends on science and technology but that people of no knowledge of both which is dangerous for the future.He also states that Americans are far below in academics compared to other countries for example Korea, Britain, and Japan. To support his arguments Sagan gives many academic statistics from other countries and compares it to Americans.

Sagan gives many solutions to this problem for example he compares how the teaching profession is in other countries is to  how the Americans do. in other countries teaching is viewed as an admired profession and with better salary so he proposes to invest money on teachers training, their salaries and laboratories. so that children get more hands on experience and not just getting all their knowledge from the books. Another way is to motivate people to learn about science for example through television, instead of showing lots of pseudoscience there should be more science.

I think Sagan was right during his time and in some ways he still is, but there has been progress since this essay came out. He gives many reasons why science is important and that Americans are missing out on many things that science can and will do. During this time now there is a science and technology section in newspaper and in the news on television. There are many scholarships and help for students who have the potential and show that they want to continue to go to college and come out of poverty to do something in life.

popularizing science

The essay “why we need to understand science” is written by carl Sagan, a accomplished  astronomer and astrophysicist. He was a consultant and adviser to NASA since the 1950’s.he worked on such project as spacecraft Galileo which confirm that Jupiter’s moon Jupiter’s moon Europa might possess subsurface oceans of water. He also contribute to solving the mystery of  Titan’s reddish haze. As a writer, he dedicate himself into popularizing science with book like the “dragons of eden “which won a Pulitzer prize. He also went on tv and host a tv series “Cosmos” to deepen people’s understanding of science.

if you are interested in finding out more about him  http://www.carlsagan.com/

Sagan’s first argument is that the public ‘s knowledge of science is in insufficient. Although there are people who are passionate about science, there is no access to the knowledge. He lead to the argument by telling a personal experience which his each of his audience could relate to.

Then , Sagan suggest that the lack of scientific knowledge among public could lead to serious consequences. To support his opinion, he used concrete number to show that there will be a shortage of job in scientific field, and he tries to provoke worries in his audience by asking how are people going to decide on critical issue if they don’t even understand it. He then justifies people’s fear in science and technology, he acknowledge that by saying “the sword of science is double edged.” However, science has the power to change the world and the future. Science is much bigger than facts and knowledge. It’s seeing the world in a rigorous way. It’s an openness to alternative ideas. We should not focus on nurturing more scientists, but we should focus on spread the scientific way of thinking .

Next ,Sagan proves that American students is bad at science by showing statistics of American students compared to students from japan , south Korea, Singapore, Britain, and Canada. It shows that America is not only surpass by eastern countries, but also Britain and Canada. they are also ahead of the U.S in mathematics , chemistry and other areas. Sagan conclude several reasons why American students did worse. There isn’t enough funding for teacher’s salaries, training and equipment. American students don’t spent enough time on schoolwork. Skills in science don’t benefit students’ career since many of them do service jobs. The lack of skills in science is causing economic loss. It’s effecting the economy.

In the next segment, sagan discussed what we can do to change the situation. He points out that due to sexism and racism, there is a gap in education level. By enrolling a child with low social economic states in a head start program or upward bound program increase chances of further education and finding a job. He also suggests to Increase teacher’s salaries and more equipment. He Encourage scientists to reach out to the public and explain what they do, and encourage media to cover more about science. He also points out that the peer pressure and parenting play important in scientific education. There should be a science role model for teenagers .

“Why We Need to Understand Science”

Carl Sagan was one of the world’s most prominent and innovative scientists in the late 20^th century.  He was a renowned astronomer, astrophysicist, researcher, and writer–although he is best known as the host of the popular documentary-style television series, “Cosmos”.  Sagan dedicated his life to bringing science into popular culture during the late 20^th century.  He was a professor of astronomy at Cornell University as well as a Pulitzer Prize-winning author, who authored more than 20 books and published more than 600 scientific papers.  He contributed to some of NASA’s most significant missions in the 70s and 80s.  Sagan discovered the high surface temperatures of Venus and worked on understanding the atmosphere of Venus, Jupiter, and Mars.  Furthermore, he was one of the earliest scientists to propose that there might be life on other planets.  His work advocated the importance of Science as he strongly defended rational scientific thinking, nuclear disarmament, and global conservation.  Sources: http://www.famousscientists.org/carl-sagan/, http://mashable.com/2013/10/21/carl-sagan-science/

Carl Sagan’s “Why We Need to Understand Science”, first published in 1989 in Parade Magazine argues for the importance of science to the security and prosperity of the U.S.  He argues that our perception of science is flawed and insufficient since our society causes us to believe that Pseudoscience is science.  He discusses how our society filters out science, while it permits pretense and confusion (12).  Sagan claims that most Americans are “scientifically illiterate”.  When we think of science, our thoughts are similar to that of Mr. Buckeley, many of us think of things like UFOs– things that have little scientific significance or evidence.  Sagan writes that science in contrast to these “cheap imitations” is even more exciting, mysterious, intellectually challenging and truthful.  There are many Americans who are smart, gifted and have n innate passion for science.  However, Sagan says that this passion is neglected.  In our society driven by capitalism and industrialization, it is crucial for us to pay attention to science and technology, as well as its consequences.  Our ignorance of science os “threatening our economic well-being, our national security, and the democratic process (15)”.

He supports his claim that we “stink” in science by providing statistics and examples that indicate America’s failure to know basic scientific facts and our weaknesses in all aspects of mathematics and science compared to British Columbia, Japan, Britain, and Korean.  Our education system is inept and fails to teach science due to the fact that teaching is no longer an admired, secure profession.  He claims that U.S. parents do not really encourage their kids to learn science.  Hence, Sagan calls for more money given to teacher training, teacher salaries, and laboratories.  He suggests that property taxes be more heavily used on education.  He calls for the financial and moral encouragement of science, more science exhibited in T.V. programs, projects, and newspapers.  Our primary objective should be to train more scientists and deepen public understanding of science.

I agree with Sagan’s claims that America suffers a poor understanding of science.  I did not fully agree with him until he supported his argument with statistics and examples.  When he argued that most of us don’t really know of modern science, I initially disagreed.  I was reading his argument from a 2014 viewpoint.  I thought that since Sagan wrote from a different time since he wrote this piece in 1989 (prior to the invention of the internet), perhaps Americans were much more ignorant and had a poorer understanding of the world.  After reading this entirely, I do believe that America remains to suffer from a lack of understanding of science.  For instance, when he stated that children are not really encouraged to learn science by their parents.  I did find that true because parents do react with annoyance when children ask them scientific questions.  Furthermore, it is without a doubt that compared to other countries, America falls short academically and knowledgably.  I also think that our society teaches short-term gratification.  I find myself feeling the peer pressure not to excel and feel the need for approval of others so I might feel that lack of interest toward science.  However, although America still needs less ignorant minds and a better understanding of the world, I believe that things have gotten better over the years.  I believe that the media incorporates more science into T.V. programs through the introduction of Cable.  Furthermore, science is more heavily used in the news than before through the introduction of the Internet, Etc.  Furthermore, hands-on science experiences like laboratories are more widely available for young individuals.  I believe science has become more important to understanding as we are becoming more and more of a world based on science.

“Why We Need to Understand Science”

Carl Sagan was a renowned astrophysicist, astronomer, and the host for the former television show “Cosmos.” He also was the author of many articles and even a novel. He believed that it is critical for everyone to understand science for the betterment of oneself and for a country that relies heavily on science and technological advancements. He insists that if science is brought to popular culture not only will people understand it, but also they would take interest in it and want to learn it. (Read more on Carl Sagan here: http://www.planetary.org/about/our-founders/carl-sagan.html)

Sagan begins his argument by sharing a personal experience he encountered with a man named William Buckley who’s enthusiasm for pseudoscience was discouraged by Sagan’s simple and mundane explanations. He uses this experience to show that people lack the knowledge of “real” science and since 94% of Americans are scientifically illiterate, they may never know how fascinating and exciting real science can be. Students in the United States are lacking significantly when it comes to science and mathematics on a national scale.

Sagan devotes an entire paragraph in his article to statistics giving evidence of how behind the United States is compared to countries such as Japan, Korea, and British Columbia. Even the United States’ top students did not come close to level of these other countries. The most interesting statistic was that two-thirds of American students believed they were good at math, while only 8% of Korean students believed they were good at math. This shows the difference in attitude between the two nations.

In order to fix this Carl Sagan gives numerous proposals to help the United States and their understanding of science. He believes teachers should be better trained and paid more and for teaching to become a more respected profession. More funding should be given to schools to enhance their science programs with more laboratory courses. Financial and moral encouragement should be given to scientists to make their work understandable and fun to listen to; as well as bring their work to popular culture. Television networks should develop science-related shows without the fear of low ratings. Lastly, Adults should be more accepting to a young child’s curiosity of how the world works. Adults should answer not with frustration but with encouragement regardless if they know the answer or not.

The audience I believe Sagan was targeting was not only readers of Parade Magazine, but teachers, principles, professors, scientists, government officials in charge of education, and any person that has any interest in science. Sagan opened my eyes to the importance of understanding science and how critical it is for the future of the United States and myself. The jump from an average American high school to a university like Stony Brook is a big one and I believe if science was brought to popular culture then the United States could bridge the gap between itself and other first world countries.

“Why We Need to Understand Science”

“Why We Need to Understand Science,” written by astronomer and astrophysicist Carl Sagan, explains the need for a knowledge of science in the modern world and how, as a society, we have lost an understanding of science and technology in a world that is rapidly advancing. Sagan, the author of many different works of scientific literature and the host of the television series “Cosmos,” has made a career through the field of science and stresses the importance of being educated scientifically in a modern society with so many new developments.

Carl Sagan opens up his article with a story of a conversation he had with a TV interviewer. The TV interviewer asked Carl questions about “UFOs, channeling, crystals, and astrology,” all topics in science that have no real evidence, but have taken an importance to modern society because of the popular media and the ignorance of science among most of the country. These topics are a part of a “pseudoscience” and because Sagan is the questioning of this pseudoscience by a member of the public media emphasizes that lack of comprehension that Americans have about real sciences today.

This opening story leads into Sagan’s argument on the importance of science and how Americans are falling behind in that field and becoming “scientifically illiterate.” He labels his next section “A prescription for disaster” to foreshadow what is to come if Americans do not catch up to the rest of the world. This appeals to the pathos of the reader, stimulating some sense of fear on what may happen if we do not take steps to catch up. He argues that modern society greatly depends on science and technology because of the major advancements taking place in those areas. He then appeals to logos, using statistics to explain mathematically how far Americans have fallen behind in education of the sciences. This is also meant to appeal to pathos by stimulating  an American’s sense of pride.

Sagan suggests that it is the loss of a natural sense of curiosity and the ability to “ask proactive and insightful questions” that is affecting the way science is digressing. This decrease has caused a lack of enthusiasm for the sciences. He explains that a lack of modern day role models in science, as well as societal pressure on teenagers that cause them to perceive science in a certain light also act as a reason for the disengagement for science and technology.

Carl Sagan presents a convincing argument by appealing to pathos and logos through stimulating a sense of fear and pride in Americans and using statistical evidence to back up his claims on how America is falling behind. He successfully explains and argues for the importance of  a knowledge of science in an advancing world for the good of the future society. I agree with Sagan that America has fallen behind in science and technology and that we need to make an effort to be on the same level as the rest of the world.

Analysis on “Why We Need To Understand Science”

The author of the essay that we are talking about today is a well-known astronomer and astrophysicist, Carl Sagan. Sagan is famous for being the host of the popular television series, “Cosmos”,and for his efforts in promoting science into popular culture for the public. He devoted great endeavors in popularizing scientific knowledge during his whole life. Wikipedia has a detailed profile of him. Click here.

In his essay “Why we need to understand science”, which was first published in 1989 in Parade Magazine, Sagan argued for the importance of Americans studying science, and the perniciousness of the present situation. Accordingly, it is not hard to tell that what Sagan tried to reach is every common American reader, especially who feels too good about himself. Sagan made a clear argument that Americans have to take actions to improve people’s scientific literacy.

To be honest, I have never heard of Sagan before reading this essay, for I was not raised in America. However, after reading it thoroughly, I realized why he was so popular in American society. He was so good at persuading! For example, he used subtitles to clarify the structure of the article, which made the whole article more easy to read and more approachable to the audience. Also, the subtitles that he used was not just random picks. Look at them, “A Prescription For Disaster”, “How Bad Is It? Very Bad”, “Why We Are Flunking”, “What We Can Do”. Apparently, they could easily arise curiosity of the readers, and they are logically organized.

Another skill that Sagan used in this essay is giving both technology’s benefits and harm, in order to show that he understood how the readers feel. For example, he pointed out “Scientists not only conceived nuclear weapons; they also took political leader by the lapels”. It conveys that he totally comprehended public’s considerations about science. This significantly gets the author and the readers closer, which made it easier for Sagan to express and persuade.

Moreover, it is important that Sagan showed real statistics to us, for statistics is the most powerful persuasion. The numbers he gave about how poorly American teenagers did in science could shock a lot of readers, which can immediately inform them of how urgent the alarm is. Also, at the end of the essay, Sagan offered choices to the audience. He told us what we could do to change the status quo. Personally, the most impressive one was to “admit that you don’t know eveything”. I believe, to an adult, it is harder than knowing everything itself.

To sum up, I found Sagan’s essay indeed persuasive and of course I am persuaded. Science is a fascinating subject, which I am not good at. People think Chinese are always good at mathematics and physics, but maybe I am an exception. I would like to learn more about science and technology, because Sagan told us, “Science is much more than a body of knowledge. It is a way of thinking.”

Carl Sagan (1934-1996)

Science? What’s that?

Being a renowned astrophysicist and astronomer, Carl Sagan has truly invested his life’s work into the world of Science. Along with the production of entertaining yet educational television shows, he has also written books about various topics that relate to the facts most Americans are unaware of during the late twentieth century. Despite the belief that a number of people in America have successfully managed the ominous depths of the college classroom when it comes to the sciences, Sagan manages to truly point out the faults that have been overlooked, not in the American people necessarily, but rather in the society they have been nurtured by. With this point in mind, Sagan has made quite an effort to publicize how necessary such information is in the world today- one of these attempts being documented as the essay, “Why We Need to Understand Science” which was published in Parade Magazine (1989) – in hopes that his readers truly interpret the effects of bettering themselves in this field.
According to the previously mentioned article written in Parade magazine, there is a serious lack of scientific knowledge among the American people and the society in which they live in could be held partially responsible. Between the scientists that don’t usually want you to know what they’re up to, the government who are providing less and less funding for education, and the lack of motivation that results from not seeing the products that come from an occupation in a science- related field, kids today are fighting an uphill battle to compete against the workforce of other countries. Allowing the audience to possibly classify themselves as a victim of this experience appears to be one of the methods utilized to grab their attention- hence where portraying the character “William F. Buckley” comes into play. Mr. Buckley represents those who have been led to believe information which hardly constitutes as factual due to the “pretense and confusion” of the articles allowed in the public’s eye. Through mentioning the effect this has on the country economically, Sagan continues to try and grab the attention of others who may have been more educated than this character, yet still don’t understand how important science is to the current way of life. For example he mentions information in the “A Prescription for Disaster” segment that ties in the economic consequences of remaining ignorant to give people some sense of a future that may not be so affected by their existence. Lastly, despite the bad occurrences that have happened as a result of its use, Ragan begins to identify all the good that science can do toward advancing mental processes and further encourages his readers to support it through personification of its ability to aid our way of life, as well as the way we think about the world. Whether it invites, urges, or counsels someone to embark on a path that intrigues the mind is up to that sole person, but Sagan’s point is that Science can aid you in reaching such a path.
To further convince his readers of such claims, the article supplies information (specifically statistics) which compares America to a few other countries that excel in the Math and Science fields. Through the comparison of not only college students, but elementary students as well, Ragan portrays the range of information that the American public is lacking, even at such a young age as 10 years old. Not only have Japan, South Korea, and British Columbia all gone down this path of “(Our country):1, America: 0” but also our Northern counterpart Canada has even surpassed the knowledge base of the United States.
In the eyes of the author, the students who were examined to determine these statistics have the aptitude to be as intelligent as their international competition in these particular subjects, it is just a matter of motivation and support. To ascertain that this is the case, it is recommended that the first problem to be observed is the work force who are educating children as well as working for industrial companies. Throughout the past few decades, the information which these two groups are required to know has increased, and yet the worker’s desire to fully perform at their jobs have decreased substantially in terms of their lack of training. Sagan also pulls the covers from everyone’s blind eye on the fact that discrimination has also played a hindrance on the workforce that America so desperately needs. Both sexism and racism have played a hand in this as companies reject women, and people of other races who could actually be more than capable of performing in their occupation. The second matter of business addresses the funding that the government failed to use in support of education. Without hands-on access that occurs usually in labs, students will be doomed to the bland pages of terms and formulas written on a page. This, along with the attitude seen commonly within classrooms that discourages the curiosity which naturally emerging in the youth from time to time, has surely diminished their vigor to learn about the world they exist in.
As for what can be done to help raise the bar placed in American education, the article suggests that one should aim “not just to train more scientists but also to deepen public understanding of science.” In Sagan’s eyes, what could be a major aid to this issue is the development of interest that the public once had in learning about science, as well as educating the youth that will soon be responsible for “tomorrow.” He embarks the reader’s interest in this topic by asking how America’s counterparts have excelled – thus gaging their minds to wonder and seek the answer in the article. As for the students themselves, the most effective way to enhance their development seems to be engaging in advanced math and science courses at a relatively early age. Parents can also enroll their children in a “Head Start” program or an “Upward Bound” program to spark the desire for learning that children are naturally born with, yet seems to dwindle with each passing scholastic year.
The article “Why we need to understand Science” has truly compelled me to really care about the educational future of our world. The complacency within American society is only a major wake up call to the diminishing interests in a subject that is quite vital to the progress of the human race and it is up to us to maintain that progress. As Carl Sagan had mentioned in his article, “its awesome power forces on all of us…a new responsibility- more attention to the long-term consequences of technology..”

 

Why we need to understand science.

“Why We Need to Understand Science” is the essay first published in 1989 in Parade Magazine, wrote by Carl Sagan, to argue for the importance of science to the security and prosperity of the United States. American astronomer, astrophysicist, cosmologist, author, science popularize and science astronomy and natural sciences. He is probably best known as the host of the popular television series, “Cosmos,” and as a writer who worked to bring science into the popular culture of the late twentieth century. (More information)

From the information above, we can easily find out that the purpose of this essay is to let American know about the current situation and stop feeling good about ourselves. He is trying to show that American are far behind in education in comparison to other regions of the world by showing to statistic data. And he is trying to make science became somehow interesting to make people start to like it and solving the problems by eliminating the negative emotion of science study.

For his intended audience, I think it will be all the readers of Parade Magazines. For more specific, it will be those american who feel perfectly fine about our education at current situation. Also to those in authority of education, Sagan also provide them with a solution to solving the problem on educator’s aspect.

His major claim of the essay is that we should take much care about science, not just the body of knowledge but the way of thinking. Since we are now living in a exquisitely dependent on science and technology, in which hardly anyone knows about science and technology. On the other words, it is saying that American are now in the danger of really low education and the think we teach kids are way too superficial in comparison to other regions of the world but our people just do not realize the truth that we are far behind.

For the evidence, he provides the Statistic data for supporting his claim. For example, less than half of all Americans know that the earth moves around the sun and takes a year to do it; In the test of average 17 years old in many world regions, the US ranked dead last in algebra. Even with that statistics, two-thirds of the Americans, but only a quarter of the Koreans, say they are “good at mathematics.”

He also provide solutions for the problem. We shall increase the salaries for teachers that approach what they could get in industry; more scholarships, fellowships, and laboratory equipment; laboratory science courses required of everyone  to graduate; and special attention paid to those traditionally steered  away from science. Also the providing of financial and moral encouragement for academic scientists to spend more time on public education is also significant. On the other hand, Media like magazine, newspaper or television should also pay more attention on math, science and technology instead of sports or amusement. People just need little motivation to learn. Also, adults should be more honest in dealing the question from their kids that they do not know. They should just tell them that they do not know and motivate and providing the tools for their kids to find out the answer themselves instead of avoiding the questions.

After finish reading the essay, I  am perfectly agree with the points Sagan says. What is more, I think it is not just an american issue, but also a global issue. The only way to make progress is to feel urgent. Once we feel good about ourselves, we are done.