Point of Inquiry

Sir Harold Kroto - Science Education and Freethinking


Listen Later

Sir Harold Kroto, winner of the 1996 Nobel Prize for Chemistry, is in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at The Florida State University. He is a tireless science educator who gives lectures, presentations and workshops to groups of all ages with the aim of communicating his passion for science. He's a fellow of the Royal Society, and was awarded its 2002 Michael Faraday Award for public appreciation of science. In this discussion with D.J. Grothe, Sir Harold Kroto relates what budded his initial interests in science, including the influence of his childhood Meccano sets, and emphasizes the importance of hands-on exploration and science learning. He recounts the discovery of the Buckminster Fullerene, for which he won the Nobel Prize, and the frustration he has with people outside the sciences who view science as only worthwhile if it is "useful." He discusses his views on religion, and how his background in science has fueled his freethinking and religious skepticism. He explores the question of whether or not science education efforts are succeeding, and details his "buckyball" workshops for children. He also explores whether or not he advances the "religion of secular humanism" when he teaches science deliberately excluding any mention of God or religion.
...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Point of InquiryBy Center for Inquiry

  • 4.8
  • 4.8
  • 4.8
  • 4.8
  • 4.8

4.8

9 ratings


More shows like Point of Inquiry

View all
StarTalk Radio by Neil deGrasse Tyson

StarTalk Radio

14,351 Listeners

Unbelievable? by Premier Unbelievable?

Unbelievable?

2,032 Listeners

Making Sense with Sam Harris by Sam Harris

Making Sense with Sam Harris

26,395 Listeners

EconTalk by Russ Roberts

EconTalk

4,273 Listeners

TheThinkingAtheist by The Thinking Atheist

TheThinkingAtheist

2,861 Listeners

 by

0 Listeners

The Modern Heathen Podcast by Unknown Productions

The Modern Heathen Podcast

12 Listeners

The Daily by The New York Times

The Daily

113,475 Listeners

Sean Carroll's Mindscape: Science, Society, Philosophy, Culture, Arts, and Ideas by Sean Carroll

Sean Carroll's Mindscape: Science, Society, Philosophy, Culture, Arts, and Ideas

4,163 Listeners

Festival of Dangerous Ideas by Festival of Dangerous Ideas

Festival of Dangerous Ideas

7 Listeners

John's private podcast feed ~ betaworks events & things I'm listening to.. enjoy 👂 by John Borthwick

John's private podcast feed ~ betaworks events & things I'm listening to.. enjoy 👂

3 Listeners

The Dishcast with Andrew Sullivan by Andrew Sullivan

The Dishcast with Andrew Sullivan

820 Listeners

The Interview with Hugh Hewitt by Salem Podcast Network

The Interview with Hugh Hewitt

147 Listeners

The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart by Comedy Central

The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart

10,964 Listeners

Misquoting Jesus with Bart Ehrman by Bart Ehrman

Misquoting Jesus with Bart Ehrman

685 Listeners