Photo Courtesy: Image by Mohamed Hassan from Pixabay | For representational purpose only
Saanvi Singh
First-year B.Tech student, Plaksha University
“The apple fell like it always had.” What changed the course of the world that someone finally took a moment to ask why?
For millions of students pursuing technical and scientific degrees, science is mostly presented as a final product, a well-organised collection of definitions, rules, formulas, equations, ideas, and findings that are just ready to be committed to memory. Correct responses are all that counts in the classroom; learners are frequently rewarded for providing precise responses to questions. What is always taken into consideration is knowing the right answers to questions. With time, science turned into an archive of known facts rather than an ongoing process of discovery.
The way science is generally taught supports this perspective. Textbooks are structured based on established theories and validated findings. Accuracy, precision, and the capacity to replicate approved knowledge are rewarded in exams. Students are taught methods, definitions, and formulas, but they are rarely exposed to the intellectual difficulties that led to their development. As a result, science is viewed as a collection of facts to be driven by memory rather than as a process of inquiry.
Education carries the risk of hiding the approach used to arrive at those findings when it solely focuses on conclusions. Although students may know that the Earth revolves around the Sun, they might not understand the years of research, observation, and debate that resulted in this conclusion. They may comprehend the laws of motion without being aware that they offer answers to basic queries about how objects move.
Yet, as a science student, encountering disciplines that asked a different set of questions changed the way things appear. A course called “Art of Thinking” sounds like more of a philosophical course; however, it brought a shift from knowing merely what is known to understanding the importance of how knowledge is produced. A distinct set of questions is raised by such an encounter: Where do scientific answers come from?
Finding solutions is only one aspect of scientific research. Curiosity, ambiguity, and the capacity to pose insightful questions are the foundations of this journey. "Why do objects fall?" was a question that existed before the understanding of gravity. Before the discovery of vaccines, there were a series of questions: What is a disease? What causes disease? Every significant scientific advancement since ancient times has come about because of someone observing the world and asking, "What, why, and how?"
The philosophy of R.G. Collingwood, who described the power of question and answer, is closely aligned with this notion. According to him, every statement is essentially a response to a question. In Collingwood’s belief, no statement can be understood in isolation; it is always a product of a question. To understand an answer, the question that produced it must be understood first.
This viewpoint provides a successful approach to interpreting science. Scientific theories did not appear as complete truths just waiting to be uncovered. They were created in response to queries raised through the study of the natural world. The concerns of why objects move and how to predict their motion were addressed by Newton's laws of motion. A long-standing conundrum regarding the diversity of life and the similarities among living things was resolved by Darwin's theory of evolution. Questions concerning the nature of space, time, and light, as well as the constraints of classical physics, gave rise to Einstein's theory of relativity.
There is a hidden history of inquiry, sceptical thinking, argument, and curiosity in every equation, law, and theory. What is frequently presented in textbooks as a definitive response was once an open inquiry that questioned established beliefs.
Understanding science as a process of questioning is not merely a philosophical exercise; it has become increasingly relevant to the realities of the twenty-first century. Modern times are far more interconnected and complex, and as students’ lives become more integrated into this era, knowledge of a single domain alone is not enough.
Many of the difficulties outlined in this era cannot be comprehended, much less resolved, within the boundaries of a single field. A break from traditional learning frameworks is reflected in the increasing emphasis on interdisciplinary learning.
Organisations and institutions tend to prefer collaboration across fields that were once quite far from each other. Engineers work alongside sociologists, computer scientists collaborate with ethicists, and environmental scientists engage with economists and policymakers. And irrespective of profession, field, or subject choices, people are integrated into this system. Such collaborations emerge on realising the rule that today’s world rarely fits within the boundaries of a particular discipline.
Consider the development of artificial intelligence. Artificial intelligence isn’t just limited to technology; it goes far beyond the boundaries of technology alone. Questions revolving around AI involve not just technology, but also ethics, law, psychology, economics and public policy. Building and creating intelligent systems is one side; determining how those systems should be integrated into the side is another side. Understanding these sides requires more than technical expertise and thus ranges across different fields.
Sustainable development, another demand in our times, perhaps one of the most ambitious goals, depends not only on technological processes, but also on environmental responsibility, economic growth and social equity. What connects these distinct ideas is that they cannot be addressed simply by having knowledge. They require an in-depth understanding of this knowledge, and, in return, that understanding requires identifying the right questions. How should technology serve humanity?
Which methods of development are realistically sustainable? How can societies strike a balance between ethical duty and innovation? These are not questions that are unique to any one field of study.
Education in our day and age is much more than simply knowing the answers. As crucial as gaining specific knowledge is the capacity to develop relevant questions, challenge presumptions, integrate concepts from different domains, and frame problems. The future will belong to those who can identify which questions need to be asked, not just those who have the answers.
The value of asking questions goes well beyond the walls of universities, research facilities, and science classrooms. A person scrolling through social media comes across countless claims about health, politics, climate and humanity. People are expected to be informed about anything and everything, and in such situations, possessing information is not enough. The most important skill thus is not who has more knowledge, but who can ask critical questions to better understand the possessed knowledge.
When viewed in this light, inquiry is the cornerstone of both responsible citizenship and the scientific community. A society that can ask the right questions is better able to deal with false information, adjust to change, and actively engage in democratic and technological life.
Learning or memorisation of concepts, principles, and formulas is simply one facet of the scientific story. It is a story of questions. Every law, theory, or significant finding found in textbooks today was once just a why, what, or how in someone's thoughts. Someone had a moment of confusion, doubt, or curiosity. An attempt to comprehend and explain something that was not yet understood gave rise to what we now recognise as theories and laws. A law, theory, or formula may not be the most important lesson science imparts. It is the practice of paying mindful attention to familiar objects and choosing not to take them for granted. A simple act of questioning can transform our understanding of the world.
After all, the apple fell as it always had; it wasn't the falling apple that changed history, but rather a curious mind. In this way, the advancement of science, and possibly of humanity as a whole, begins with a question.
Teaching future generations what man already knows is not the only responsibility as this transformation in education continues. It is to foster the curiosity, creativity, and courage needed to pose the questions that will determine the next chapter of humanity that man does not know.
