bigideas

The argument for greater scientific literacy is that to meaningfully participate, appreciate and even survive our modern lives, we all need certain knowledge and skills about science and technology. This sounds great, but is it that straightforward if we can’t all become experts? How do we deal with unavoidable differences in understanding? And what is really meant in this context by ‘science’ and the ‘public’?

Alice Bell is an academic and writer interested in the social side of science. With a background in the history of science and sociology of education, she spent several years lecturing in science communication at Imperial College and now researches science policy at the University of Sussex.