Friday, 2 October 2015

Science subjugated, and the power of science

From October 6 a new series of seminars at the Dept. of Sociology

Versione stampabile

At the end of the Forties the soviet agronomist Trofim Lysenko put into turmoil the science and political world with his claim to be able to affect the hereditary structure of a living organism by modifying the environment.

The Lysenko theories became official doctrine of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.

We will start from this case, dating back to the “cold war”, to discuss about science subjugated to the (political and economic) power, and the power exercised by science and technology, in the new cycle of seminars, open to the public, organised by the Atheneum interdepartmental project “Science, technology and society (STSTN)”.

The four meetings, open to the public, will start Tuesday, October 6 and will go on till November 24. The appointments will take place at 5.00 pm in the Kessler Room of the Department of Sociology and Social research (via Verdi, 26).

«The idea - explains the coordinator Massimiano Bucchi, professor of Sociology of Science at the University of Trento and author of the e-book “The devil does not play dice. From Einstein to Hiroshima”, published in the Corriere della Sera series - took shape because this year it is celebrated the seventieth anniversary of the first atomic bomb dropped August 6, 1945. A dramatic event which marked a point of no return in the awareness of the potential implications in the society of science and technology. We decided to analyse the relationship between science and politics because it is a relevant and controversial subject, about which is important to acquire a better consciousness as citizens, scientists and as political policy-makers».

We start with a meeting dedicated to science in the Soviet Union: the historian Francesco Cassata and the sociologist Alessandro Mongili  will open with the Lysenko case and the hostility toward genetics, as a key to understand the organisation and the role of research in that context and the repercussions also on western politics and science.

October 24 the mathematician and historian Angelo Guerraggio will talk about role of Italian scientists during the First World War, with the participation of Gustavo Corni e Paolo Foradori.

November 10 Alberto Brodesco, media and cinema expert, alongside the mathematician and physicist Valter Moretti, will explain how science and politics are mirrored in the large and small screen, going from Caproni to Heisenberg, from the cartoon of Miyazaki to the most recent telefilm series.

At last, November 24, the scientist Giuseppe Remuzzi of the Institute of pharmacological research “Mario Negri”, will tackle the theme of the relationship between science and politics from the founding point of view, starting with the story of Lincoln who, in the midst of the Civil War, created the National Academy of Sciences. The subject will them be discussed with Giorgio Vallortigara,  pro-rector for research at the University of Trento, and Sara Ferrari, councillor of the Autonomous Province of Trento for university, research, youth politics, equal opportunities and development cooperation.

The attendance to the seminars is open to the public (subject to seats availability). It is possible to request an attendance certificate.

Program and further information available at the following page.