Abstract
IN an address on the “Popularisation of Science” when receiving the fellowship of the American Institute, New York, on February 4, “for interpreting to the people of the nation the rapid progress of science upon which modern civilization depends and for the organised dissemination of research findings as news”, Mr. Watson Davis said that the reporting and interpretation of science failed of its purpose if it did not bring about an appreciation and utilization of scientific method in everyday life. This he believed was best achieved by giving the mass of the people, through accurate and interesting accounts of science's successes and failures, some understanding of the essence of science which would lead them to apply it more widely to our everyday life, our human relationships, business and government. Many of the ideals we most cherished such as liberty, opportunity, the pursuit of happiness, freedom, democracy, were achieved by the utilization of scientific method, and the mistakes of democracy were best corrected by science.
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Popularization of Science. Nature 139, 578–579 (1937). https://doi.org/10.1038/139578d0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/139578d0