Science sans Scientific Temperament: Where have we lost the spirit of inquiry and empiricism?

Institutions, organisations and professionals these days talk repeatedly of going digital, developing better AI tools and harnessing data for more rational decision-making, all those are wonderful fruits of science and technology. However, without being too politically correct, the most conditioned and educated creme de la creme of professionals often fail to display a scientific temperament.

Scientific temperament is not about having degrees in science and technology. It is not about how well versed you are with analytical statistics or sharp with formulae. It is stemmed in your thought process and evidenced by your 'belief system'. Oh how dearly I desire that the world had a better understanding of rationalists and empiricists like Richard Dawkins. 

If in today's space age, atomic age and digital age if any person of whatsoever credential of education or professional standing says that time of the day, planets, or colours bring badluck or good luck just based on some superstitious belief, the idea of scientific temperament would die a bad death.

For the unaware, science is not merely about studying physics, chemistry, biology. It is not merely about information amassed out of number game and lab set ups. 

Imagine a Copernicus believing in the flat earth because a certain belief system ruling the world back then. Or a Newton believing that all that governs the physical world was the will of a heavenly figure that would have kept him from dissecting the layers of the universal physical laws.

Further next fancy buzzword these days are motivation, leadership, inspiration and so on. Leadership for all practical purposes is reduced to a scalar metric of position. Jeffery Pfeffer and the other management gurus have taught us that leadership is stemmed in the relationship, in the person who inspires and empowers towards betterment and not in a position. The distinction between holding a systemic power as a force of coercion and whip for obedience is starkly different from holding a leadership trait that listens, inspires and empowers. 

Another reason why I think that our education system has long being more of an information impartation exercise than an 'educative' system in essence that would build a value system and shape a rational perspective. And predicament of our social system that has reduced intelligence to labels of degrees. 

These are not my ideas but that of ideas of a hundred intellectuals quoted till date, reduced into a few words. Any education or work undertaking fails where this awareness is not taken care of.

That said, a word of caution against any adverse or convenient interpretation though. Being an observant learner is the key to being a great thinker. If any education is merely reduced to be a medium of only earning and not learning, it will become redundant very soon. 

Learning is a natural phenomena, no one can certify your geniuses. While it is always great to shine academically with good grades, it is much more important to retain a learner's attitude after and beyond the classroom. It is a sine qua non duty of us sapiens as benefactors of this information and technological age that we develop scientific temperament beyond just earning science degrees and technical skills. It is important to have educated opinions based on objective observations to dispell false notions and beliefs. It is important to not merely study history and arts but to cultivate a sensitivity of societal patterns, human emotions and be immersed in it like an ethnographer. Education is not a sealed locker where priced possessions should be kept and sealed. It is a window that must open you to wider perspectives of the world and bring in light of awareness. You too, afterall, would never want to end up being a memory card with all facts stored in you!