Science and Society from Physicists' Viewpoint

Year 2005 was declared the International Year of Physics by the United Nations Organization to commemorate the centenary of the first publication on the probability theory by Albert Einstein. Numerous scientific conferences, exhibitions, lectures, readings and workshops were held during the Year of Physics to attract the attention of the public to physics and science in general.

It's not a secret that the current attitude to science differs much from the profound reverence characteristic of the mid-20th century. The then impressive scientific achievements have become an everyday issue: technological novelties are produced on a large scale, and you can enjoy the fruits of scientific discoveries every day. At the same time, it is doubtful that many of the expensive basic-science research projects will pay back in the foreseeable future, and science is often perceived as a way for the scientists to satisfy curiosity at the expense of the society.

In the current situation, a comprehensive dialogue between the public and scientists is most urgent. Should the estrangment between science and society be overcome, and how can this be done? How can the lost prestige of science be recovered? Why should scientific knowledge be popularized and what are the means to achieve this? These and other questions have become the subject of the round table that gathered together scientists of the Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics (INP SB RAS) belonging to different generations

More information on these and other subjects you can find in the printed version of our journal.