The TELI Science Debate Germany 2009 was one of the topics of this year's Euroscience Open Forum ESOF 2010 in Turin. The workshop „The Missing Mediator“ was organized by EUSJA. It presented the historial and philosophical background of the science debate, assessed the accomplishments and suggested: introduction of a Europe wide debate on essential scientific subjects.
„Whenever the people are well-informed, they can be trusted with their own government“
The journalist Shawn Otto, cofounder of the science debate 2008 in the United States, set the tone with his presentation: Restoring science to its rightful place. In this century, science and technology influence every aspect of our lives. During the last presidential campaign, however, the top five network news anchors mentioned science hardly at all. Neither the press nor the US-Congress is fit to deal with scientific issues. Of 535 members only 11 (!) have a scientific background. This means that science does not take place neither in the public nor in politics. So Thomas Jefferson's famous phrase that „whenever the people are well-informed, they can be trusted with their own government“ does not hold true for science, Shawn Otto concluded. Science's rightful place is in the society. Science and democracy are linked, both are egalitarian and anti-autoritarian. Thus, science is always political, stated Shawn Otto.
US-Science Debate 2008: largest political initiative in the history of science
The Science Debate 2008 started with a questionnaire which 38 000 scientists and engineers responded to. However, the democratic front-runners, Clinton and Obama, did not want to talk about science, they preferred religion. Science remained ghettoized, until the debate picked up momentum. The questionnaires were evaluated and from the data 14 major questions were derived which the the top candidates, Barack Obama und John McCain, finally responded to. „The Science Debate 2008 became the largest political initiative in the history of science“, said Otto, with 800 million media impressions. As a result, the debate focused Obama on science.
Restore science to its rightful place
Obama's answers to the 14 questions formed the basis of his science policy. His major science appointments were early Science Debate supporters. For the first time, a president had a science policy going in, and a sense of how it integrated with his agenda. In his inauguration speech, Obama featured science at the top and promised he would restore science to its rightful place, the mission statement of the Science Debate 2008.
Anti-science like creationalism needs to be exposed
Shawn Ottos conclusions: Scientists need to come out of academia, engage in the public diaogue, and listen to feedback from non-scientists. The US-American media needs to be pushed to cover science policy. Anti-science like creationalism needs to be exposed and opposed while pro-science candidates deserve support with time and money. At the next presidential campaign in 2012, the Science Debate will celebrate its comeback and hopefully this time engage the candidates in a real television contest on good and bad science and the priorities on the scientific agenda.
Scientific citizenship acknowledges that the public is a major stake holder in science
Wolfgang C. Goede, TELI representative with EUSJA, asked for more participation of citizens in the scientific process. After all, they are the ones who foot the bill and finance science with their tax money. Medical doctors have learned, for example, that by integrating their patients more in their therapies they obtain better results and healthier people. Goede introduced the term „scientific citizenship“ which acknowledges that the public is a major stake holder in the scientific process. Science is always embedded in power systems, formerly the church, today it's the economy. However, its benchmark must be democracy, its philosophy and rules. That's what the Galileo model is about. It places average people at the center like the sun in our planetary system and sets institutions in orbit around them.
We need a new social contract which ensures that scientific knowledge be socially robust
Debates are the foundation of democracies. We have reached a state of scientific literacy when access to science is as natural as access to art, literature and music. In order to facilitate this, we need a new social contract which ensures that scientific knowledge be „socially robust“ and that its production be seen by society to be both, transparent and participative. In a way, lay experts become co-researchers who contribute to science in a unique way.
EU president: If Europe does not engage into ambitious goals it will risk decline into a museum
The engineer and university professor, Michele Ciavarella, is the founder of the Italien Science Debate. He criticized in his presentation the standstill in development of science and technology in Europe. Ten years ago the heads of state wanted to make Europe by 2010 „the most competitive and dynamic knowledge based economy in the word ...“ spending approximately 3 percent of the GDP on investment of research, development, innovation. The European Union is far away from this goal, averaging only 1.3 percent. It is also imperative to make science attractive to young and energetic people, in terms of salaries and social status, Ciavarella demanded. Europe needs visions like the one expressed by US-President John F. Kennedy, when he announced in 1961 the „moon shot“. If Europe does not engage itself into some ambitious goals it will risk, as former EU president Romani Prodi declared, „decline into a museum“ -- and only remain a world leader in soccer.
Germany: „Science has stopped to exist in politics“
EUSJA president Hanns.-J. Neubert presented the German Science Debate 2009+. The idea was born at TELI's 80th anniversary in May 2009 with the purpose to accompany the upcoming German elections in fall. Confronted with serious problems, science journalism has to redefine its work and create new role models. Science journalists as mediators of the society between science and economy, politics and civil society could become one of the new fields of engagement. The German debate followed very much the Science Debate 2008 in the United States. It also worked with questionnaires which were evaluated. The results were fed to the press. This culminated in the headline shortly before the election: „Science has stopped to exist in politics.“ It was no topic whatsoever in the campaign. According to surveys the situation is alike in the rest of the EU countries.
EUSJA wants to replace „end of pipe debates“ with „start of pipe debates“
Therefore Neubert announced a Europe wide science debate. Traditional debates according to him are „end of pipe debates“. The results and the course of action have been found in preliminary debates which mostly engaged experts. The citizens may contribute comments, but they won't change the agenda any more. Actually, this type of debate, very common in the political field, is a faked debate. In contrary to this practice, the EUSJA debates shall be „start of pipe debates“. The pipes have not been layed out, the structure is wide open, the citizens can influence with their comments and testimonial the setup of the pipes, how they connect and the flow of information within. This is the only way that citizens participate and become scientifically literate, said the EUSJA president. This contributes to making the scientific process transparent and democratic, as demanded by Shawn Otto in the Science Debate 2008.
Online debates and life debates on the future of automobiles
There are two options to put this scheme into practice. One is online debates as implemented by the TELI during the federal elections 2009. They were continued in 2010. Highlights were stories on the reopened particle accelerator LHC in CERN and the impact of volcano clouds on air traffic. Apart from this, Neubert pointed out the necessity of life debates of proponents and opponents on certain issues and the participation of citizens in this. As an example he mentioned the debate on the future of automobiles in Braunschweig's House of Science.
His final request: „Let people talk – and write about it!“
LINKS
Presentations and pics
Report in German
http://teli.de/blog/?p=797
Video of the session
http://nubes.esof2010.org/stored?vid=196
ESOF 2010 Turin
http://nubes.esof2010.org/stored?vid=196
Photo Gallery
http://www.esof2010.org/gallery
Galileo Model: The Citizen Is The Center of The Universe
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