As we emerge from the impacts of Covid, what should we conclude about scientific authority and accountability?
Filmed at the Battle of Ideas Festival in October 2021, an esteemed panel debate some big questions. In what circumstances, and in what capacity, should scientists feel free to speak their minds publicly? Conversely, when is it reasonable for laypeople to direct criticism at scientists? How should scientists use, and relate to, traditional media and social media? And how have the everyday challenges of a jobbing scientist – obtaining funding, pressure to publish, demonstrating impact, negotiating tensions with one’s seniors and colleagues – affected, and been affected by, the politics of the pandemic?
The speakers are: Dr Daniel Glaser – Director Science Engagement The Royal Institution and Neuroscientist Rob Lyons – Science and Technology Director and Economy Forum Convenor Academy of Ideas Dr Stuart Ritchie – Psychologist, Lecturer Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience and Author Dr Günes Taylor – Research Scientist and Public Speaker The Chair is Sandy Starr – Deputy Director Progress Educational Trust
