The Scientist–(Conversational) Friend or Foe?
Good piece the other day in The Washington Post about dinner-party conversation, by Sally Quinn.
The one thing I disagree with her about–mostly her observations and advice are spot on–is that scientists are often toxic in ordinary dinner conversations, especially when you get them together. Well, yes, maybe if they start talking to each other in equations or chemical reactions, but generally if they are accomplished in their fields they, unlike many of the rest of us, actually know something definite and important–often fascinating. And it has been my experience that they are eager to try to explain to laymen what they are up to–and in fact look forward to doing so. I once had a conversation with a Rockefeller University neurologist about what consciousness is–that most elusive of all human experiences–and what he told me about memory and the role of neurons in forming memories helped me a little toward a ghost of comprehension of, well, comprehension.
Not sure why Ms. Quinn has trouble with scientist types. Maybe she herself is just not that interested in the subject.
