Build bridges with science
Science can overcome differences and solve global issues, said Prof Schmidt
Science benefits from collaboration and could unite humanity to combat global issues such as climate change, if those with wealth and knowledge are willing to share, said 2011 Nobel Laureate for Physics Professor Brian Schmidt.
He gave a public keynote speech titled "Science: Humanity's Universal Bridge on 21 January as part of the 5th ASEAN "Bridges – Dialogues Towards a Culture of Peace event series.
Modern science is built on collaboration, emphasised Prof Schmidt, a faculty member at the Australian National University's Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics. He cited how astronomy's foundations were laid brick-by-brick by different people through the ages, starting from the ancient Greeks up to Einstein. It exemplifies a model of how people benefit from working together and this cooperation should be extended beyond the scientific community.
"The goal of science is to learn, and to learn as quickly as possible. You get credit by sharing your knowledge in science. It is a great culture to help break down the barriers between our cultures, he stressed.
Humanity must work together to deal with large-scale challenges such as the impact of unsustainable energy consumption on nature, health issues that arise due to longer life expectancy, and the provision of education, employment, stability and safety to everyone, he said. Science and technology can enable the manipulation of the world to overcome these problems.
Inequity, however, tends to derail progress because it often leads to conflict, he added. "We are not happy living next to someone who has a lot more stuff than we have, he pointed out.
During the question-and-answer session, one audience member asked how the debate on climate change could be improved. The acclaimed astrophysicist noted that, firstly, policymakers should be well-read on the topic and secondly, scientists should not advocate for a specific course of action as their role is to "tell unadulterated truths. He also encouraged the audience to vote for "sensible people who would give due consideration to scientific evidence in policymaking.
As to why scientists in the East and West were collaborating only recently, Prof Schmidt attributed the rise of scientific partnership to advances in communication, which enabled scientific findings to be distributed widely.
The lecture was jointly hosted by NUS and Yale-NUS College, and facilitated by the Austria-based International Peace Foundation, which organises the "Bridges series of events. About 250 staff, students, alumni and members of the public attended the talk at the Shaw Foundation Alumni House.
An attendee addresses Prof Schmidt at the Q&A session
