Morning Scepticism: Literacy

Being illiterate in this modern world is a huge disadvantage, and given how much information is transmitted through written language it becomes vital to have the ability to read. Yet we live in a world that has been built by science, yet scientific understanding even on a basic level eludes an alarmingly large percentage of the population. Beyond the problems that stem from scientific ignorance (such as AIDS denial or mind control conspiracies), it does seem a tenuous situation to live in an artificial environment without sufficient knowledge of how that is achieved or how to preserve it. It just creates unrealistic expectations and flocking to magic.