The things we are discussing today at this meeting - democracy , science , and journalism - are three valuable institutions that have made life in this country far better than it would have been without them . [...] We can look back over history to see how , in different places and different times , each of these pillars cracked and sometimes even fell .
Carl Zimmer in his talk ' Science , Journalism and Democracy '
In your talk at ‘ Science , Journalism and Democracy ’, you recounted the stories of Trofim Lysenko and Masha Gessen , which showed that science and scientific communication can be deeply affected by the political compass of a country . How do we ensure a healthy relationship between science and the government ?
We , as citizens , have to make it clear to our political leadership that this is what really matters . If we elect politicians that think they can ignore science or misrepresent it to do what they want , they should not get our votes .
Do you think that we can ensure a better relationship between science and the government through education aimed at creating citizens who would make more well-informed decisions ?