Abstract

This paper embarks on a contextual reading of a work by the renowned physicist and Nobel Laureate Erwin Schrödinger entitled Science and Humanism. It is argued that while specialisation does contribute to the advancement of knowledge, in itself that specialist knowledge means little and has a dehumanising effect on society. In order to become meaningful and in order to develop the faculties of critique and appreciation, a synthetic vision is required that can only come when the sciences are seen on the same playing field as the humanities. The reading revisits several arguments that Schrödinger draws upon which have implications for contemporary science education. The paper concludes that texts such as Science and Humanism are exemplars for cultivating and illustrating that critical and synthetic vision which is required in a hyper-specialised context of education.