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IHEST European Summer School

Which place for science in the public debate ?

25th-29th August 2010 Saline royale d’Arc et Senans, France

In many countries, the stakes and outcomes of scientific activities have become the subject of increased public attention. The social effects of science, the emergence of new technological products, the financing of scientific research as a focus of public policies – all contribute to turning the debate on science into a topic of major relevance for contemporary democracies. Science and the technological objects that populate our daily lives have brought about stronger and stronger public controversies that have been exposed by unprecedented media coverage : the criticisms of the IPCC and its reports, the debates on nanotechnology in France, the uncertainties on the health impacts of mobile phones and waves, of GMO, of pesticides, or even, the heated exchanges on the scientific basis for protecting certain fish species are prime examples. The European summer school of the IHEST will precisely examine the place of science in the debates that unfold in the public sphere. What types of debates go public ? Along which lines ? Who is involved ? By engaging with the general and nonetheless too often taken for granted notions of ‘debate’ and ‘public sphere’, the summer school will explore how they fit into the more specific topic of science-society relationships. Such debates call for an analysis of the public perception of contemporary science production. Notwithstanding differences in cultural contexts, they question the status of science and technology in our societies. Do these debates point to the need of changing social approaches to science ? Or to the need for scientific communities to reform their modes of engagement with society at large ? The production of scientific truths, how scientific facts and theories are legitimated, the place of science in democratic discussions will be at the core of the reflections of the participants of the summer school, which aims to provide some insights that will have contemporary and future relevance. The summer school will combine various academic approaches and draw from the insights of philosophers, political and social scientists, and historians of ideas. Stakeholders will also contribute to the exchanges and the school will benefit from the input of speakers and participants from the UK and the US.

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Pre-program

Wednesday 25th August

The nature of debates

What is the current status of scientific “truths” ?

Deliberative democracy : insights on various types of debates

  • Trial : a heuristic model for public debates
  • Deliberative democracy models

Shared insights on sciences and debates

Thursday 26th August

Arguments in democracy – what is the structure of the debates on science ?

Debating : political and ethical stakes

Why do some scientific and technical objects appear in the public debate ?

Return on experience

Climate change and the question of legitimacy

The IPCC as a scientific process

The political legitimacy of science

Perspectives

“Philosophical rhetorics in the Dover trial on creationism”

August 27th 2010

Diffusing the debate in the audience and the public

Is there such a thing as “the public” ?

Public spaces and means of diffusion : information and communication.

Return on experience

Nanotechnologies – insights into process and methodology for organized debates

Saturday August 28th

Expertise in the debate

Who is an expert ? New approaches to expertise

Return on experience

Stem-cells – addressing the conflicting temporalities within debates

Sunday August 29th

Conclusions

Goals and pedagogical methods of the European summer school

The European summer school of IHEST will take place between August 25 and 29 2010 in the utopian setting of the Saline Royale d’Arc et Senans. It will bring together about fifty participants and speakers from various academic and professional backgrounds for four days of intellectual exchanges and training on the role of science in the public debate. Building on keynote speeches delivered by foremost experts in the field, the summer school aims at creating among participants a collective understanding of the nature and the stakes of science in the public debate. It will provide both theoretical and practical insights, derived from the analysis of contemporary debates and return on experience. The summer school will provide participants with a new range of competences and a capacity to embrace new perspectives in order to think and act differently in a social and political environment marked by the increasing complexity of the relationship between science, society and innovation. Comparative international analyses will be one of the high points of the summer school, which will benefit from a collaboration with CSPO (Consortium for Science, Policy and Outcomes) at Arizona State University. The summer school will address both spontaneous debates (controversies) and more formal debates, such as those organised by the Commission nationale du débat public (CNDP) in France and the Parliamentary Office for Science and Technology in the UK. What policy or social outcomes can be expected from these formalized dialogues ? What do they reveal about science-society relationships ? The European summer school of IHEST is a unique setting in which specialists and participants work together in a collaborative manner. The conclusions of the ESS will be published as a summary document put together by all participants. This second edition of the ESS is firmly set in IHEST’s remit : anticipate on emerging debates, work towards the diffusion of a new scientific culture and contribute to a shared understanding between science and society.

> Scientific committee

Jean-Michel Besnier, université Paris-Sorbonne ; Dominique Cardon, Orange-labs et CEMS/EHESS ; David Cope, Office parlementaire pour la science et la technologie (Grande-Bretagne) ; Dominique Desjeux, université Paris-Descartes ; Patrice Flichy, université Paris Est-Marne la Vallée ; Jean-François Girard, PRES Sorbonne-Paris-Cité ; Pierre-Benoit Joly, INRA et Institut Francilien Recherche, Innovation et Société (IFRIS) ; Etienne Klein CEA et Ecole centrale ; Jean-Pierre Pages, Agoramétrie ; Arie Rip, université de Twente (Pays-Bas) ; Daniel Sarewitz, CSPO à l’Arizona State University (Etats-Unis) ; Jean-Didier Vincent, académie des sciences ; Heinz Wismann, EHESS Paris ; Dominique Wolton, CNRS, Institut des sciences de la communication.

> Steering committee

Marie-Françoise Chevallier-Le Guyader, IHEST ; Laurent Chicoineau, CCSTI Grenoble ; Jean-Philippe Desreumaux, Bouygues Télécom ; Patrick Legrand, Commission nationale du débat public ; Roland Schaer, Cité des Sciences ; Laurent Turpin, CEA, INSTN ; Mathias Girel, ENS, conseiller de l’IHEST ; Paul Maître, conseiller de IHEST ; Romain Garcier, IHEST ; Lucile Grasset, IHEST

Modalités de participation : L’université est ouverte aux candidats de toute nationalité. La langue principale de travail sera le français (quelques interventions en anglais avec interprétation). Les droits d’inscription sont d’un montant de 1 200 € net de taxe (ces droits comprennent l’hébergement et la restauration à Arc-et-Senans, les frais de transport jusqu’à la Saline royale restent à la charge du participant).

PDF - 624.9 ko
Descriptif de l’université d’été
Word - 86.5 ko
Formulaire d’inscription à l’université européenne d’été
Date limite d’inscription : 9 juillet 2010
PDF - 1.8 Mo
Program of the European summer school
13 juillet 2010

Renseignements et inscription :

Christelle Tallon :

… tél : 01 55 55 87 66

…courriel :

christelle.tallon@ihest.fr