The person making such a statement faces little or no risk of social embarrassment, even if they are college-educated. Elementary competence in science and mathematics should rank as a social imperative equal to an elementary competence in English. The fact that this parity does not exist is more than unfortunate, it is dangerous. With increasing frequency, public policy decision-making involves the sciences. The world is understandable.
Scientific ideas are subject to change.
Scientific knowledge is durable. Science cannot provide complete answers to all questions. Scientific Inquiry Science demands evidence. Science is a blend of logic and imagination. Science explains and predicts.