Of publics and science

摘要

In the 20th century and carrying on into the 21st, the relationship between publics and science has been a central focus, whether through the lived experiences of the ordinary citizen or through the penetrating lenses of scholars of science and technology. Much as publics have tried to make sense of things scientific that impinge on daily life—from questions around the safety of our food to pondering the efficacy of a new drug—our scholarly notions of this relationship have also been changing. This is a good time to take stock. It is a time to step back and make sense of our work in this field called "public understanding of science," a field of study that has for some time felt the oppressive burden of a label that has been outgrown.