To the scientist, the lab is like a church or a sanctuary, a micro-world where he finds a safe environment to develop his ideas, and where his jargon is well understood by his colleagues. The gospel he preaches is illustrated with graphs, and is proven beyond reasonable doubt with experimental data, up to three digits after the comma. He has become a believer of his shared truth, and he is prepared to evangelize his work to make this world a better place. The people he wants to convince are first and foremost the facilitators of his own work, his sponsors. Also, his friends and family need to be made part of his considerable contributions to society. Finally, the man in the street, the voter, has to be convinced of the importance of science, since politics can retrieve the money plug at any point in time. To do that, the scientist will have to communicate.

Unfortunately, he has spent too much time on his research, and has forgotten the language of the common man. During the time in his sanctuary – the lab - he is changed into believing that everything is science, and everything can be explained with science. To the benefit of science, he has to translate his thoughts into a language that everyone speaks, and incorporate his ideas inside existing ideas. He is not likely to do that, because he runs the risk of criticism from colleagues dismissing his attempts as scientific immoralities, commercialism or populism.
Relevance is key. It may imply simplification of graphs and omission of digits after commas. If he really wants to change the world into a better place, the scientist will need to explain how life of the man in the street is affected by his ideas. And maybe even recognize that there are other truths and ways to these truths? By thus humbling himself, the scientist can convey his message in a far better way. Or at least, as the scientist descends from his mountain, the message will be heard by the majority who live in the valley.

A scientist needs to step out of his lab every once in a while to discover the relevant world around him. More importantly: he needs to assimilate to societal life to the degree where he can participate more and share common interests. This will contribute to new scientific developments, and it will ensure the survival of science.

print • E-mail • Share: