THE PANTANETO FORUM


Issue 49: January 2013

Mindboggling: Preliminaries to a science of the mind   by Roy Harris.  Do you have a mind?  Answers to this question have divided Western thinkers for centuries, and still do.  Mindboggling sets out to identify a nucleus of basic issues about the mind, and present the main arguments for and against in each case.  Targeted to a lay readership, each chapter discusses a different theory, myth or idea about the mind.  Anticipate wails from theorists whose theories have been given short shrift.  Mindboggling is available from Amazon (including Kindle), from Bookshops or direct from Publishers. 

 

Science on Television by Bienvenido León.  

The book is a clear and systematic guide to the narrative and rhetorical techniques used by science documentary filmmakers. The book is priced at £18.50, but for direct orders we are offering a 20% discount.  The book is also available on Amazon Kindle.

 

Motivating Science is a collection of articles from the first five years of The Pantaneto Forum.  We are offering a 20% discount for direct orders.  The book is also available on Amazon Kindle.

 

 
Editorial

  

Science museums have moved a long way from the dusty Victorian repositories of “scientific objects” – generally speaking they have become more actively hands-on user friendly places.

The next stage typified by Morgan Meyer’s article: “Representing science in the making in exhibitions” is the depiction of “live” scientific research. Meyer refers to “hot” science, which is unfinished and possibly controversial, as opposed to “cold” science, which involves stable knowledge and he explores how exhibitions of hot science affect researchers and the public.

 

Scientists usually feel at home meeting other scientists at conferences, but one aspect of communication with the public, is to meet at a venue where “the attendees, and not the experts, are at home.” In: “Science is ready, serve it!” Franco Bagnoli, Giovanna Pacini and Paolo Politi describe the system of science cafés in Italy. They also explain the thinking behind a European project they are involved in – “Scicafé” for a European network of science cafés.

 

The Pantaneto Forum has published a number of articles on science and the theatre[1]. In “Partnering with Science Facilities to Promote Science Communication through the Performing Arts”, Linda Merman and Brian Schwartz present details of various projects they are involved in, through their “Science & the Arts” website. As a result they are able to reach audiences who would not normally have much contact with science.

 

The increasing importance of science in our lives means that scientific debate on many issues has moved into the political sphere. In Germany, next September, there will be a general election and the German Association of Science Writers (TELI) has taken a pro-active position of launching a scientific debate during the run up to polling day. In “The Science Debate 2013”, Wolfgang Goede elaborates the history behind and the kind of debates which will be promoted by TELI over the next nine months in Germany.

 

  

The proceedings of the Science Matters conference, which we reported in Issue 28, October 2007, have been published and are available from the publishers – World Scientific.

 

Nigel Sanitt
Editor

ISSN 1741-1572

Contents

Articles

Representing science in the making in exhibitions, Morgan Meyer

 

Science is ready, serve it! Franco Bagnoli, Giovanna Pacini and Paolo Politi

 

Partnering with Science Facilities to Promote Science Communication through the Performing Arts, Linda Merman and Brian Schwartz

 

The Science Debate 2013, Wolfgang C. Goede

 

 

 

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