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Why should we promote public engagement with science?
Jack Stilgoe1, Simon J Lock, James Wilsdon
1University College London, UK.
Public Understanding of Science (Bristol, England)
|January 18, 2014
Summary
Public engagement with science is crucial but insufficient for open governance. Social scientists must refine arguments for publicly engaged science, acknowledging past over-promising.
Area of Science:
- Science communication and policy
- Social studies of science
- Public engagement with science
Background:
- The journal Public Understanding of Science has been publishing for two decades.
- Public engagement with science (PES) has evolved significantly in practice and politics.
- PES is viewed as a necessary but insufficient component of science governance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To reflect on the evolution of public engagement with science over 20 years.
- To analyze narratives of continuity and change in PES.
- To propose new directions for social scientists committed to PES.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of invited commentaries in a special issue of Public Understanding of Science.
- Review of two decades of discourse on public engagement with science.
- Critical reflection on the role and impact of PES.
Main Results:
- Public engagement with science is a complex field with both progress and limitations.
- Past advocacy for PES may have led to over-promising.
- There is a need for nuanced arguments and new analytical frameworks for PES.
Conclusions:
- Public engagement with science requires a re-evaluation of its scope and impact.
- A normative commitment to PES necessitates developing more sophisticated approaches.
- The concept of 'publicly engaged science' offers a broader, more ambitious vision.
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