Neil DeGrasse Tyson on the value of scientific literacy

I've often heard students question the day-to-day value of science: "Yeah, but how is knowing <insert scientific claim> going to impact my life if I'm not a scientist?" In my experience, these individuals almost always confuse a particular scientific claim with the scientific process that lead to acceptance of that claim.

Often times they're right - some scientific facts are simply useless for most people - but any decent response to their question should always bring them back to science as a process, not a fact. 

"Science literacy empowers you to know when someone else is just basically full of it. Because you understand... how the world works and what the limitations are, then you can judge whether someone is trying to exploit your scientific ignorance."

In the clip below, American astrophysicist (and kick-ass public speaker) Neil DeGrasse Tyson explains.