Science Craps Out!


Back in college, I took a class my freshman year in rhetorical analysis. I really didn't understand or appreciate the class at the time and thought it was a waste of time that could be better spent pursuing more relevant ends; however, I've recently come to appreciate what the class was trying to teach and when I saw the cover of the June 30 issue of Science, I could not help but to offer an analysis of the picture, with my own biased interpretation.
There are four major features on the cover, the banner: Science in large white letters agains what could be taken as a gameboard from the Game of Life. There is a graphic of a medical professional holding a clipboard with a somewhat androgenous being standing beside him with the words Life Cycles underneath. There is a set of dice, one showing a 5 and the other a 2. Finally, there is a deck of "event cards" similar to those of the Game of Life.
Taking the cover as a whole, one can appreciate the similarities to the Game of Life, and yes we all can in some ways relate to how we are on a track in life and while there may be different goals for different people, the paths tend to be similar, decisions of education, career, marriage, child-rearing etc are common to all people and could indeed be considered a life cycle as one generation cycles into the next. This however is clearly the journal Science and the design of the graphic implies that the game board illustrated is that of a reader of Science, namely an educated, passionate intellectual many of whom put their dedication and passion for science primary and their personal happiness secondary in their life course. It seems like the traditional path of life does not apply to these readers, not because the decisions are not the same, but because they, we, look at life from a different angle. Surely some consider science end the elucidation of the natural world their mission, however we do have a greater, and more fundamental role to play in this society and yet few accept thier job as mentors and role models as readily or as early in life. What is worse is that the 7 rolled on the dice, considered a natural in the game of Craps, indicates a winning roll. Is it truely a winning roll for society when the intellectuals put their career before themselves and their family. Compounding this is the text of the Event Card in the picture which reads, "No dates last month! Move back two spaces." When the intellectuals are engaged in pursuit of their passion, the personal life that is so critical to one's well being and happiness takes a back seat to their passion for science. Not that we don't love life and enjoy sharing our life experiences with others, but often intellectuals find it difficult to relate to those who lack passion in their professional careers, and thus we are penalized moving us backwards in the Game of Life.
It is only by balancing our careers with our personal lives that we can hope to find happiness and progress and enrich both. A life dedicated to intellectual pursuit is not for everyone nor is family life, but we often fool ourselves into thinking that our work will make us happy. While Science may not have intended to do so, they have encapsulated the strugges of many in the academic profession on their cover, stigmatizing the academic life as a lonely pursuit which fails to balance the personal needs for personal progession with professional advancement. I agrue that while many academics, and single graduate students, can relate to this, it further alienates intelligent people who may wish to consider, and could contribute significantly to, an intellectual life from pusuing such because our the life of the academic derails us so significantly from the Game of Life.