Lord Sainsbury trusts public's good sense
By Wendy Barnaby
"A good education in science should lead people to ask questions about the impact of science,” British Science Association President Lord Sainsbury will tell the Festival of Science today.
He will comment on a seeming paradox: that populations who know little about science tend to be more unequivocally enthusiastic about it than those who know more.
He believes that science and technology have a key role to play in solving the UK's economic problems and reducing poverty in the developing world. However, he also argues that "we need to improve what the late Senator Robert Kennedy called ‘the intelligence of our public debate' if we are to realise those benefits.”
People distrust new ideas and technology when they do not feel in control of the risks involved; when they do not perceive a personal benefit resulting from the technology, and when they feel the government is not acting in their interests, he is expected to say.
"People expect government to assess the risks of new technologies, and to halt them if they need to be, and to mitigate them if they need to be mitigated, and at all times to keep people properly informed. And people become very angry if they feel that the government is not doing this job properly or is in any way hiding the facts from them.
It is these factors which explain the very different reactions in recent years to the extension of the areas in which research on embryonic stem cells would be permitted, and the introduction of GM foods,” he will continue.
Former Science Minister Lord Sainsbury will make his comments as part of his Presidential address to the Festival of Science. He will argue that scientists and governments can make the public engagement with science more effective.
"The most important thing that needs to happen is that, when a new technology looks as if it will produce new products, the scientific community leads an open and public debate about the ethical, health, safety and environmental issues raised,” he will say.
He will contend that the debate needs to take place early in the development process. It must be open and public, all the evidence must be published. "It is also important that everyone is clear that what the scientists are being asked to consider is the ethical, health, safety and environmental issues involved, and not whether in some way a technology is a good or bad one.
"Because I believe in the innate good sense of people I believe they will accept modern advances in sciences when they deserve to be accepted,” he will conclude.
Read Lord Sainsbury's Presidential Address which took place at the British Science Festival at Aston University in September 2010.
"A good education in science should lead people to ask questions about the impact of science,” British Science Association President Lord Sainsbury will tell the Festival of Science today.
He will comment on a seeming paradox: that populations who know little about science tend to be more unequivocally enthusiastic about it than those who know more.
He believes that science and technology have a key role to play in solving the UK's economic problems and reducing poverty in the developing world. However, he also argues that "we need to improve what the late Senator Robert Kennedy called ‘the intelligence of our public debate' if we are to realise those benefits.”
People distrust new ideas and technology when they do not feel in control of the risks involved; when they do not perceive a personal benefit resulting from the technology, and when they feel the government is not acting in their interests, he is expected to say.
"People expect government to assess the risks of new technologies, and to halt them if they need to be, and to mitigate them if they need to be mitigated, and at all times to keep people properly informed. And people become very angry if they feel that the government is not doing this job properly or is in any way hiding the facts from them.
It is these factors which explain the very different reactions in recent years to the extension of the areas in which research on embryonic stem cells would be permitted, and the introduction of GM foods,” he will continue.
Former Science Minister Lord Sainsbury will make his comments as part of his Presidential address to the Festival of Science. He will argue that scientists and governments can make the public engagement with science more effective.
"The most important thing that needs to happen is that, when a new technology looks as if it will produce new products, the scientific community leads an open and public debate about the ethical, health, safety and environmental issues raised,” he will say.
He will contend that the debate needs to take place early in the development process. It must be open and public, all the evidence must be published. "It is also important that everyone is clear that what the scientists are being asked to consider is the ethical, health, safety and environmental issues involved, and not whether in some way a technology is a good or bad one.
"Because I believe in the innate good sense of people I believe they will accept modern advances in sciences when they deserve to be accepted,” he will conclude.
Read Lord Sainsbury's Presidential Address which took place at the British Science Festival at Aston University in September 2010.
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