June 04, 2021
Bulletin interne de l'Institut Pasteur
"How science fiction shapes our vision of science and the society of the future": upcoming Science & Society seminar on June 9, 2021
Reminder: The next seminar in the Science & Society cycle, entitled "How science fiction shapes our vision of science and the society of the future," will take place on June 9, 2021 at 5.30pm via Teams. It will be led by Sylvie Lainé and Roland Lehoucq.
The links between science and science fiction go much further than the mere fact that they share a word. Science fiction can be used to talk about science and to give each individual the means to grasp the basics of science and understand major scientific achievements; and in turn, science can be used to write science fiction, to give it a solid framework or explore its boldest theories. The visions in science fiction can be a way of challenging and galvanizing scientists, pushing them beyond their limits, fueling inspiration and reflection. Science fiction can also be used to showcase science and its potential applications. It provides a platform for performing thought experiments and imagining the social and political consequences of scientific and technical developments. Over time, science fiction literature can become a repertoire of possibilities setting out multiple potential future scenarios. By creating physical and social systems that are removed in space and time, science fiction can be used to simulate worlds and seek answers to the major problems of our time (climate change; the emergence of a society that is ultra-connected but beset by inequality and divisions; global health risks, etc.). It prompts us to reflect on the future world we want to live in and the role of each individual in creating that world. It therefore serves as a meeting place between science and society that can help us build the "ethics of the future."
The seminar will explore these ideas and attempt to investigate what both the scientific community and society can gain when scientists come into contact with authors or artists involved in science fiction. It will also try to demonstrate that using science fiction can be a powerful means of facilitating discussions between scientists and society and fostering shared reflections on the future that we are helping to shape together.