While there is a distrust, even a distrust of science, there has never been so much debate, online discussion, contribution from the general public about it. In recent years, let us recall the debates and controversies on global warming, vaccines, masks or genetically modified organisms (GMOs).
The sciences arouse enthusiasm, commitment, disputes, polemics, and it happens to many citizens to express themselves on this subject, to take sides. Science thus seems to have become everyone’s business. But is the intervention of citizens on scientific issues always justified? What are the limits to democratic debate? How does the Internet in general, and social networks in particular, breed monsters? What responsibility for the media, one of whose rules is the balance of points of view?
“Equality in right of expression does not imply equality in legitimacy”
These are the questions posed by Annabelle Kremer-Lecointre, associate teacher in life and earth sciences, author of scientific works, who published Science put to the test of gossip, ten preconceived ideas deciphered to fully understand the scientific approachillustrated by Arnaud Rafaelian, with Delachaux and Niestlé editions. The trained engineer, guest of this episode, returns today to a received idea: “Everyone has a say in science”.
“About the pandemic [de Covid-19] which has struck us in recent years, underlines the scientist in this interview, everyone took sides, everyone talked about science, but not always knowingly. Freedom of expression is obviously essential in a democracy. She is precious. But having the right to do so does not mean that one is entitled to do so. (…) Equality in the right of expression does not imply equality in legitimacy. “Beware, too, of ultracrepidarianismor the art of talking about what you don’t know… Listen to this exchange for free above.
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