|
|
|
|
|
|
Last updated: 01.10.2005. |
The Social Role of Scientists and their Participation in Political Decisions Simeon
Anguelov Abstract The
world today is an arena of complex interwoven economic, social and environmental
issues. No national Government or international organization could cope with
them without appropriate scientific
expertise. But the participation of the scientists in the creation of such
expertise is quite a different job than making good academic science. The
imperative of making original contributions to the system of objective knowledge
drives the academics to become experts on narrow subjects, because the
specialization is the only strategy leading to worthwhile breakthroughs. For
that reason, and not at all due to any bad faith, the individual scientists are
rarely able to be efficient advisers on any real problem. The situation is
somewhat paradoxical: on the one hand, individually the scientists are not able
to answer urgently complex questions, but on the other hand, they are the only
actors in the society capable of tapping into the tank of the objective
knowledge, in order to build expertise. They do this within panels of scientists
having skills in various fields, who after thorough discussions and having
accomplished additional appropriate research, may come up with sound proposals
on complex issues. The work as experts is another social role for the scientists
similar to the better-known role of making applied science. In these cases, the
scientists are working as problem- solvers pooling a large variety of
competences in order to achieve concrete results. However,
no scientific expertise may foresee all risks related to big innovations and
large-scale technological changes. Before taking important decisions, the
Governments should look also for the opinion of lay citizens. In such cases,
representatives of various strata of the civil society and the media should
organize together with expert panels the so-called hybrid
conferences whose conclusions might prepare more adequate and less risky
legislative and executive decisions.
|
Copyright © 2001 USBWebMaster |
