May 18, 2020

‘following the science’ – what does the Government mean?

‘Following the science’ has become a mantra for Government ministers and officials. Is it: a reassurance to the public that the Government is considering the scientific evidence when it makes its decisions; giving the false impression that following ‘the’ science straightforwardly leads to a defined policy; or an attempt to abdicate responsibility for the decisions that the Government are taking? And what lessons will be learned for the future?

Speakers will include:

Venki Ramakrishnan PRS FMedSci, President of the Royal Society

Prof Dame Linda Partridge FRS FMedSci, Vice-President and Biological Secretary of the Royal Society and Weldon Professor of Biometry in Genetics, Evolution & Environment at UCL

Prof Brian Cox FRS, Royal Society Professor for Public Engagement with Science and Professor of Particle Physics in the School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Manchester