Science Stories — December 17th, 2008 by Biologic Staff
The parting advice given to Caltech’s graduating class of 2008 was to tell good stories. In his commencement address, science journalist Robert Krulwich emphasized that “scientists have to tell stories to nonscientists, because science stories have to compete with other stories about how the universe works and how it came to be.” [1] He warned that “to protect science and scientists—and this is not a gentle competition—you’ve got to get in there and tell your version of how things are, and why things came to be.”
Krulwich is right about the importance of communicating science clearly to nonscientists. But his suggestion that the strength of science lies in storytelling is troublesome. Quoting E. O. Wilson, Krulwich proposed that “science, like the rest of culture, is based on the manufacture of narrative…. We all live by narrative.”
Huh?
Narrative is clearly a component of science, but the basis? Shouldn’t less manufactured things like observation and analysis be given that spot? If not, then the “protection” that Krulwich advocates looks to be nothing more than a power grab. He surely doesn’t intend this, but neither does he articulate just how a story-based science can escape it.