In some ways, we live in a golden age of science popularization. There are fantastic publications like Quanta doing tremendous work; platforms like YouTube and podcasts have made it possible for both practicing scientists and science communicators to reach enormous audiences; and it seems that prior generations' efforts (Cosmos, A Brief History of Time, etc.) inspired whole new cohorts of people to both take up science and venture into explaining it to a general audience.
Science popularization is important - not at the same level as human rights, freedom, food, clothing, and shelter, of course, but important. I assert that we all benefit when the populace is educated, able to make informed decisions, and understands science and scientific thinking. Speaking pragmatically, modern civilization relies on a complex, interacting web of technologies, not magic. The only way to keep that going is for enough people to appreciate that and continue to develop and support the infrastructure and its science and engineering underpinnings. More philosophically, the scientific understanding of the world is one of humanity's greatest intellectual achievements. There is amazing, intricate, beautiful science behind everything around us, from the stars in the skies to the weirdness of magnets to the machinery of life, and appreciating even a little of that is good for the soul.
Michio Kaku, once a string theorist (albeit one who has not published a scientific paper in over 20 years), has achieved great fame as a science popularizer. He has written numerous popular books, increasingly with content far beyond his own actual area of expertise. He has a weekly radio show and the media love to put him on TV. For years I've been annoyed that he clearly values attention far beyond accuracy, and he speaks about the most speculative, far-out, unsupported conjectures as if they are established scientific findings. Kaku has a public platform for which many science communication folks would give an arm an a leg. He has an audience of millions.
This is why the his recent appearance on Joe Rogan's podcast is just anger-inducing. He has the privilege of a large audience and uses it by spewing completely not-even-wrong views about quantum computing (the topic of his latest book), a subject that already has a serious hype problem. An hour of real research would show him that he is wrong about nearly everything he says in that interview. Given that he's written a book about the topic, surely he has done at least a little digging around. All I can conclude is, he doesn't care about being wrong, and is choosing to do so to get exposure and sell books. I'm not naive, and I know that people do things like that, but I would hope that science popularizers would be better than this. This feels like the scientific equivalent of the kind of change in discourse highlighted in this comic.
Update: Scott Aaronson has a review of Kaku's book up. This youtube video is an appropriate analogy for his views about the book.
16 comments:
I thought you'd refer to this one,
https://www.newyorker.com/cartoons/daily-cartoon/thursday-july-18th-presidential-language
I'm glad you wrote this post because I was dumbfounded by the confidence Kaku displayed in his knowledge of quantum computing during the JRE podcast. I have always appreciated his earlier efforts to popularize and excite younger generations about physics, however, in this instance, he is doing a disservice. I mean, his proposition that you just use quantum computers to solve everything does nothing but feed into the hype cycle that is going on. In a similar vein, I would argue that his unwavering preoccupation with String Theory as the “God equation” has led him down a similar path. Despite the impressive mathematics of string theory, it seems to have failed to deliver in physics. However, I must confess I know next to nothing about string theory though.
Perhaps some "4D Chess" going on here - if naysayers overhype Quantum Computing enough, then they can destroy the future of the field by eroding public support. That may be more effective at deflating the field than working honestly to separate BS from truth.
On the other hand, perhaps condensed matter should be grateful it has no popularizer with comparable power to Kaku (or Tyson, etc.).
I went to a big public event for Kaku about 9 years ago. Around that time, there was this really cool scientific achievement where a team had reportedly grabbed an image of a dream from a person using a MRI, a lot of data analysis, and literally a wing and a prayer (the image was supposedly a bird).
So, what did Kaku, self-appointed futurist, share with the audience? He told everyone that we were only years away home recording movies of our dreams using compact-at-home MRIs. If we totally ignore the jump he was making from one fuzzy image to full out mp4 files, you can wonder in amazement of the idea of a compact-at-home MRI. I can't wait for room temperature moderately sized MRI magnets. Even better? I can't imagine the fun that my 9 year old would have with a multi-tesla magnet in the family room? I'll have to remember to get an plastic dog collar as well...
Meanwhile, stay tuned for my flying moped based on THz wave propulsion technology...
I think the answer to this kind of thing is not to write blog posts and make videos criticising Kaku, but to put some effort into writing and talking about real science and publishing it in places that people read. I mean, Kaku is wrong here, but the average person listening to him speak will never hear someone say that.
Most journalists, unfortunately, lack the knowledge and time to properly investigate claims scientists are making, and people like Kaku can easily take advantage of that. What's needed is more focus on teaching and valuing scientific communication, and a willingness to explain things in ways that average people can understand. Kaku does that, its just he turns it all into clickbait nonsense.
It'd help, too, if scientific journalism were more valued and better paid... As it is, journalists will simply take the easiest path, which often means listening to people like Kaku.
I think scientist like Kaku are one in a million and are a national treasure. I challenge you to find one prediction he has made in the last decades that didn't come true or isn't about to come true. He has more credit than us as he is actually a university professor with a degree and not a blogger. Please have some respect and try to add positivity into this world and not the same 24 hour news media cycle!
Are you serious?
Anon@8:45, I get the idea of fighting bad behavior with good behavior. My postdoc boss once asked me, do you want to be the kind of scientist who writes cranky comments about other people’s work, or the kind who writes papers that advance the field and still correct the record? So I understand that. Still, I think sitting idly by and not saying anything when someone spouts basically lies to an audience of millions has its own moral hazard.
Dayvus, I have to assume you’re trolling.
Cervanitilitis is in many areas of science in digital times, peaking during coronavirus pandemic.
Cervantilitis during coronavirus times , madness then and now.
Cervantilitis describes the unusual social behaviour of responsible citizens during coronavirus times. Tilted windmills, giants, and lance( or s) from "The Adventures of Don Quixote" by Miguel De Cervantes are in "emergence," confusing the commoner. Madness then (Cervantes era ) and now ( age of science and reason ) are compared in this short communication
What is the signal and what is the noise? Your have every right Professor to point out what is signal and what is noise. Do you feel we have to reset the age of renaissance?
https://osf.io/preprints/socarxiv/edkjg/
I'm not a troll just a concerned citizen scientist trying to fight through the negative woke culture. I think if you would just sit down with prof. Kaku at a spaghetti supper and share a plate with him you'd find you have a lot more in common. I think you should try to understand his side and where he's coming from before criticizing. If you've never walked a mile in his shoes...
Like this : https://www.science.org/content/article/ai-re-creates-what-people-see-reading-their-brain-scans
Any thoughts on Quantinuum/Honeywell's result on braiding non-abelian anyone? I find it really exciting as a theorist since the D4 variant is pretty exotic. Although seems that "hard" condensed matter folks are taking it the same way particle physicists react to condensed matter dirac/marijuana fermions, funny enough!
https://www.quantamagazine.org/physicists-create-elusive-particles-that-remember-their-pasts-20230509/
When he is factually wrong, it may help to understand where he is coming from, yet it still needs to be pointed out that he is wrong - that fact does not change based on motivation.
M.K. and R.D. are a fitting pair. M.K. can promise any technology, and R.D. will fake respective experiment. Is not it funny that by now it is US who fabricates experiments, while it is China who does it real and proves them wrong?
https://arstechnica.com/science/2023/05/high-temperature-superconductor-report-fails-to-replicate/
Anon@6:35, there is good and bath science on both sides of the Pacific Ocean.
https://jp.reuters.com/article/uk-science-china/insight-china-rises-in-science-but-equation-may-have-flaws-idUKBRE84R06I20120528
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