President Obama wants the world to “science the heck” out of problems after he leaves office.
Human beings, “through our ingenuity, our commitment to fact and reason, and ultimately our faith in each other — can science the heck out of just about any problem,” Obama wrote in an essay for Wired magazine that hit newsstands Wednesday.
“I’m a guy who grew up watching Star Trek — and I’d be lying if I said that show didn’t have at least some small influence on my worldview,” he wrote for the issue he “guest-edited” — a first for a sitting president.
“What I loved about it was its optimism, the fundamental belief at its core that the people on this planet, for all our varied backgrounds and outward differences, could come together to build a better tomorrow,” he said of the iconic show.
“When Wired asked me to guest-edit the November issue, I didn’t hesitate,” Obama wrote. “I know it’s the height of election season, and I happen to have a day job that keeps me pretty busy. But given the chance to immerse myself in the possibility of interplanetary travel or join a deep-dive conversation on artificial intelligence, I’m going to say yes. I love this stuff. Always have.”
The issue’s publication comes a day after Obama called on Americans to land an astronaut on Mars within the next two decades.
Obama said the world has seen poverty rates plummet, education levels increase and democracy flourish because people have “scienced the heck out of our challenges. Science is how we were able to combat acid rain and the AIDS epidemic,” he wrote. “That’s one reason why I’m so optimistic about the future: the constant churn of scientific progress.”
Obama marveled at how quickly technology has evolved just while he’s been in the White House.
“When I came into office, I broke new ground by pecking away at a BlackBerry,” he wrote. “Today I read my briefings on an iPad and explore national parks through a virtual-reality headset. Who knows what kind of changes are in store for our next president and the ones who follow?”
