Events

05/23/2018

+The 90th GIST Seminar: "Innovation, Resistance, and Science Culture: An approach from Social Psychology"

Overview

Martin Bauer will discuss key ideas of his recent books 'Resistance - and the Practice of Rationality and 'Atoms, Bytes & Genes - public resistance and techno-scientific responses. Strategic technology encounters resistance in public opinion, and this resistance, rather than on a mechanistic model of push-pull, is more usefully modelled on an organic 'pain analogy': focussing attention; enhancing the 'bodily self-image', evaluating on-going activities and urging strategic adaptation of the mobilization effort. The particular puzzle in this context is the historical insignificance of resistence in the area of computer and information technology; is this a case of 'endogenous pain killers'? He will also talk about his attempts to construct cultural indicators of science on the basis of large scale, multi-national surveys of attitudes to science. This suggests, that a single model of public attitudes to science does not fit the cultural diversity, not even across Europe. He will end with some observations on the state of the cultural authority of science in the UK, in particular, after a former minister of education recently declared 'this country has head enough of experts'.
 

Simplified personal history

Martin W Bauer read Psychology and Economic History (Bern, Zurich and London) and is Professor of Social Psychology and Research Methodology at the London School of Economics and elected Member of the German Academy of Technical Science (acatech). As a former Head or the LSE Methodology Department, Research Fellow of the Science Museum London, and editor of Public Understanding of Science (2009-2016), he currently directs the LSE’s MSc Social & Public Communication, and is a regular academic visitor to Brazil and China. He was a Member of an EC Committee to define indicators of RRI (Responsible Research & Innovation) and he advises national and international agencies (UK, Brazil, OECD, acatech) on measuring attitudes to science. He investigates science in common sense through theory building, comparative attitude, media monitoring and qualitative enquires. Publications include ‘The Cultural Authority of Science’ (in press, with Pansegrau & Shukla), ‘The Culture of Science’ (Routledge, 2012, with Shukla & Allum); ‘Journalism, Science & Society’ (Routledge, 2007; with Bucchi); ‘Biotechnology - the Making of a Global Controversy' (Cambridge, 2002; with Gaskell); and papers in Nature, Science, Nature-Biotechnology, Genetics & Society, PUS, STHV, SSS, IJPOR, SciComm and DIOGENE.

Application,Inquiry

Please fill in Registration Form by noon on May 25.
If you cannot open the form, please send email to GIST Secretariat, gist-mlgrips.ac.jp.
Registration email must include: 1) your name*, 2) institution*, 3) job title, and 4) contact information (email address or phone number)*. *Required items
The application will be closed as soon as the number of applicants reaches the capacity.