Scientific solutions

In graduate school, our professor from Taiwan, Dr. Chung-Ho Su, would always impress upon us the idea that materially and socially advanced societies attained that stage because of the high value they place in innovation and knowledge generation.

In developing nations like ours, there may be several ways by which an ambitious individual can attain his or her goal in life – but there is none as powerful enough to lift an entire society out of poverty and into higher living standards as that of a society placing a premium on research.

In class, Professor Su urged us to read at least one research journal article a day. He said there is no harm in reading popular literature like newspapers, magazines, and, ah yes, social media. But if we regularly read research journal articles, we are trained to think about problems, how these can be translated to research questions, and how these can be solved.

The professor has two PhDs in the field of design and information management and is considered one of the important international scholars of multimedia design in the field of Design Education and Game Design. Now in his early 40s, he has already published more than 20 research papers in Science Citation Index (SCI) and Social Science Citation Index (SSCI) journals – SCI and SSCI being widely considered in the scientific community as a good parameter for peer-reviewed journals.

So when I was asked to drive him from his hotel to our class at the UP SRP campus, I felt the stirrings of restrained awe, the thrill of sharing a ride and casual conversations with a person whose ideas can expand my own.

While we were in the car, he asked me things like the traffic situation, our mode of public transportation, and which places to go in the city that are relatively safe. I answered his questions with just the basic facts, careful not to delve into much detail, and avoiding the political underpinnings of the topic.

In characteristic polite phrasing I’ve been acquainted to with many East Asian academics, the professor told me that the most productive, healthier, and relatively stable societies benefitted from knowledge generated by scientific research.

Now at this point this is solely mine and nowhere coming from the professor. Truly while our political leaders pledge to feel the pulse of the people and connect with their situation, they have the responsibility to act based on actual facts.

Most politicians are good communicators while most scientists are not. There is nothing sexy and appealing about telling the public, for example, that in order to curtail illegal drugs smuggling, resort to “alternative methodologies for data gathering of the digital pheromones of electronically mediated coordination and communication” must be done “in order to observe stigmergic stimuli with more fidelity.”

Yet these are studies grounded on reality, using the most stringent methods of data gathering and analysis, though admittedly couched in academic jargon. Understandably, jargon or -ese is usually the most convenient way for academics and specialists to talk to each other.

Thus, it becomes the job of leaders and policy makers to encourage and support relevant scientific work, while being able to communicate to the general public the solutions that scientists have produced to address society’s myriad problems.

That is a big challenge because work done in the name of science is often not seen by the public eye. Even the result of that work – dire predictions and cold, hard facts – are often ignored. It has been said that “science is not about building a body of known ‘facts’. It is a method for asking awkward questions and subjecting them to a reality check, thus avoiding the human tendency to believe whatever makes us feel good.” (Lewandowsky, 2012)

The police have their Public Safety Officers Senior Executive Course, the Public Safety Officers Advance Course, and Master in Public Safety Administration. The said courses, I’m sure, have or could have produced a rich body of knowledge that would reflect a more accurate understanding of the illegal drugs problem in the country and help win the drug war.

There are also peer-reviewed journals like the International Journal of Drug Policy, Journal of Drug Issues, and the International Journal of Law, Crime and Justice.

The science in this area is well studied and documented. We don’t have to be stuck with populist and uncertain solutions that call for blood.