Speaker: Professor Aubrey Manning OBE FRSE, Professor Emeritus of Natural History, Institute of Evolutionary Biology, University of Edinburgh. Winner of the 2011 Beltane Senior Prize for Public Engagement.
Good communication between scientists and the public at large can be enjoyable for both sides and I believe there are fewer barriers than we are often led to believe. The past half century has seen much achievement of this type. However, communicating science should not be just about understanding its findings but also about recognising its human position. The practise of science in all its diversity is a human activity and, for all that its nature demands a certain approach, its procedures and achievements involve all aspects of our humanity - the emotions and feelings as well as the intellect. It is part of our culture.