发展中国家公众对科学研究的理解

在发达国家关于“科学素养”的讨论中,大众科学知识的核心通常是指科学家定义的物理学、化学、生物学等。2002年12月在南非开普敦举行的研讨会上,研究人员和实践者认为,发展中国家的公众对研究的理解更多地与一些基本问题相关为公众提供清洁的饮用水、让公众了解未采取安全措施的性生活与艾滋病毒感染之间的必然联系等等。发展中国家促进公众对研究的理解的各种项目必须面向弱势群体,必须努力消除社会阶层与地域间的不平等。科学技术资源的分配在政策上不应无视差别地一概而论。

Achieving Public Understanding of Research in Developing Countries

In the developed world, discussions about "science literacy" often focus on public knowledge of science as scientists define it: physics, chemistry, biology, etc. At a workshop held in Cape Town, South Africa, in December 2002, researchers and practitioners suggested that public understanding of research in developing countries is about much more basic issues: providing clean water for drinking and cooking, learning the essential link between unprotected sexual intercourse and HIV infection, and so on. Programs to support public understanding in developing countries must serve the disadvantaged, must work to overcome social and regional inequalities. Choices about how to allocate scientific and technological resources are not politically neutral.