علم در عموم: ارتباط، فرهنگ و اعتبار

Does the general public need to understand science? And if so, is it scientists' responsibility to communicate? Critics have argued that, despite the huge strides made in technology, we live in a ''scientifically illiterate'' society--one that thinks about the world and makes important decisions without taking scientific knowledge into account. But is the solution to this ''illiteracy'' to deluge the layman with scientific information? Or does science news need to be focused around specific issues and organized into stories that are meaningful and relevant to people's lives? In this unprecedented, comprehensive look at a new field, Jane Gregory and Steve Miller point the way to a more effective public understanding of science in the years ahead. Is an understanding of science important, and what are the issues involved in communicating it? Science in Public uniquely draws together the broad range of theory and practice of public understanding of science. In order to address these and other questions that face today's technological society, this book examines the history of communicating science from the eighteenth century through Michael Faraday and Thomas Huxley, and on to the present day. Detailed contemporary case studies offer insights into the communication and understanding of science Traces the history of communicating scientific advances and ideas, including the role of the media, science in public culture, popular science, and the appeal of unorthodox science. Reprint. In the last decade or so, scientists have been delivered a new commandment from on high: thou shalt communicate.