just wait and see

Not too long ago the news was buzzing about the discovery of the Higgs Boson. This was an important milestone for physicists but because the discovery confirmed rather than countered the standard model all that really came out of it was that scientists were right all along, and they continued working exactly as they were, nothing changed.

However for ordinary people the discovery was a little confusing. Most people only just grasp the concepts of atoms and molecules, but the discovery was made in an area deeper than what most people had every bothered thinking about.

I am no expert in physics, I haven’t had much experience with sciences at all since high school, but I do have a passing interest in them. The many on-line video’s and documentaries I watch meant that I had at least heard of the Higgs Boson before the discovery and I had a vague idea what was going on.

Anyway if it takes as much effort as it did for me to be mildly confused to what was going on, what hope does the rest of the population that is too busy to read pointless articles and watch documentaries have of understanding what is going on.

Science is entering a realm where most people can’t understand what the theories mean. It takes years of study just to recognise what is happening, years more to be able to contribute anything worthwhile.

So if being the ‘tip of the spear’ in science is completely out of the reach of ordinary citizens, what disciplines are left where one can contribute innovative ideas without quitting their day job?