Where would we be without boffins?
[…] Science must be given back to ordinary people and the key to that is education. I say that with some trepidation, given the political incorrectness of the phrase 'public understanding of science' and the new mantra of dialogue and debate. It doesn't really matter whether people know that the Earth goes round the Sun. But it does matter if they don't know what a control experiment is, if they think that science produces absolute certainties, if they see differences of opinion among scientists as an indication that the scientific process is flawed, or if they feel robbed of the right to make ethical judgments.
An excellent piece by Prof. (not Sir) Colin Blakemore, explaining why scientists need more engagement with the public. The piece makes reference to Charles Darwin's great friend, Sir Charles Lyell.