Science as Theatre

Manan Bhan

Like an actor before stage left,
the butterflies begin.
As those final words are divulged,
the world’s complexity has been scripted.
In the conservatoire of objective knowledge,
this is us, silently honing our art backstage.
Science is human endeavour:
all our brilliance, all our bias.
Which tale to tell: the one for glamour and accolades,
or the lesser spectacle, buttressing the weight of knowledge?
A first claim, or an advance?
We assume, we model,
thus begins the subjective-objective relationship, where
all truths are relative, all claims are fallible.
The rehearsal continues, the script now has a form.
Once the script proves its hypotheses,
the thrill of discovery compels one to share.
The abstract whets the appetite, the figures light the stage.
Aren’t we not just storytellers, but artists too?
Each persona hides from the other,
reluctant to reveal, unwilling to admit.
But we pretend this is serious business,
whose pursuit leaves no time for such frivolities.

The Science

Although sometimes reluctant to admit, scientists are also storytellers. Through their (or our) science, we aim to tell the story of our latest discovery, which has consequences for advancing human knowledge. We go through much the same thought process as a good storyteller and aim to have a similar effect on our reader. My poem charts this flow from concept through writing, to delivery and interpretation with all the subjective decisions taken by the scientist along the way. Silently working among hundreds of like-minded peers, we produce our piece of art and excitedly share it with the world.

The Poet

Manan Bhan is an ecosystem scientist and doctoral researcher who lives in Vienna, Austria. His research tries to understand what societies do with land, and what that means for the carbon stored in these landscapes. Recently, he has started experimenting with how he expresses his thoughts on nature and the environment. Two of his poems on his immediate natural environment are soon to be published in The Alipore Post. One poem on forest abandonment and regrowth will soon be part of a book. He can always be found with a cup on chai in his hand.

Next poem: Science soldiers of higher ranks by Masoud Irani