Welcome to the on-line Science & Society book group. The Science & Society book group meets in the real world once every two to three months. This on-line extension of the group was created to enable those who are interested in participating but not able to make it to meetings of the group to take part.
The Science & Society book group uses literature as a way of looking at society’s response to discoveries and developments in science and technology. Because literature, by its nature, uses stories as a way into ideas and issues, book group discussions go beyond the facts and figures and headlines of science. What can a particular novel tell us about the way in which science has shaped or is shaping society? What can literature show us about how society guides scientific development? How can engaging with the story help us grapple with our own reactions to the effects certain areas of scientific progress are having on our lives?
Joining in the discussion is easy. Each time we start a new book, a brief synopsis and some initial thoughts will be posted here. As you read the book, you can post your own thoughts and reactions, questions and comments, and reply to the comments posted by others. All we ask is that the conversation be kept courteous, free from inappropriate language, and that the comments posted are relevant to the book under discussion.
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Book Group for April 2018: Next by Michael Crichton
This fast-paced novel explores the impact of corporate science as it weaves together the stories of characters whose lives are affected by advances in genetics research. As well as being a gripping read, Next raises several questions that are pertinent to the world we are living in today. Who owns our data and information about us (including our DNA and tissues if we offer these for research)? How far should we go in genetic engineering? What is the relationship between DNA, biology and being human? There are undoubtedly advances and benefits to be gained from research into human genetics, and we shouldn't shy away from taking part in medical research should we have the opportunity and feel it's appropriate for us to do so. But there are real issues to be addressed about the limits of consent, the patenting of DNA, and profit-driven research. All of these crop up in this novel.
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Book group for January 2017: Oryx and Crake
Oryx and Crake is set in a post-apocalyptic world filled with genetically-modified creatures, including genetically-modified humans. The novel raises several questions about our society - questions about privilege and equality; the power of science and technology and the impact of the choices we make. Genetic modification, climate change, social and economic inequality are all present in our world. Are we asking the right questions about our technologies and their impact? If we continue to develop technologies that can alter our environment, other creatures and ourselves, what are the responsibilities that go along with that power? These are some of the questions that Oryx and Crake might challenge us to ask. It might raise other questions, too. What did you think of the novel? What questions did it raise for you? Join the discussion by posting your comments.
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Book Group for January 2018: Odds Against Tomorrow
This challenging but interesting novel by Nathaniel Rich explores the psychology of fear, the science of Capitalism and scoiety's obsession with avoiding blame rather than accepting responsibility and instigating change. In a world in which businesses have to protect themselves against the possibility of numerous potential disasters - war, natural disaster, and climate change among them - those who can calculate the odds are able to profit from both potential and actual disasters. As well as raising ethical questions about the ways in which businesses face issues like climate change and its consequences, this book also posits some 'spiritual' questions about human relationships, fear vs hope, and the nature of society.
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Book Group for July 2017
Isaac Asimov's classic, I, Robot, is more a series of related short stories than a traditional novel. Written at a time when robotics was in its infancy, it did overstimate a bit the speed with which the technology would progress. We are, however, now reaching a point in both robot design and artificial intelligence where Asimov's vision of robot-human interactions may not be so far off. We already face one of the problems that Asimov identified - the replacement of humans by robots in the workplace. It is interesting that, in the book, sentient robots cannot be used on earth where they are a threat to human employment. Instead, robots are used on space stations and in mines on other planets - dangerous jobs in dangerous places where very few humans will ever go. I, Robot poses some interesting questions that may become relevant for our society sooner than we think: Is it possible to have a genuine friendship with a robot? Can a robot lie? What happens if we succeed in making robots that are smarter than we are? Is a robot a person?
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Book Group for March 2017: Contact by Carl Sagan
Although a work of fiction, this novel draws on the author's scientific knowledge and experience of working in the fields of astronomy, astrophysics and cosmology to create a realistic and belivable story. Contact asks the questions, "What if we aren't alone in the universe?" and, "How would we respond if we discovered other intelligent life in the universe?" In the western world, our own history of encounter other, less developed, societies hasn't been entirely virtuous - would we assume that any civilization more technologically advanced than our own is a threat and means us harm? Would our sense of wonder drive us to make contact? Would we assume that any signal from space was either a technical glitch of some sort or a hoax? Contact, written and set during the 1980s, explores how nations that mistrust one another and goverments that tend towards secrecy on matters of security might negotiate coming together to face a global experience that might be threat or opportunity. The story is also a great reminder of the ways in which science and our common thirst for knowledge can overcome political differences and national boundaries for the sake of scientific collaboration and discovery. Despite being set several decades ago, the story still seems very current and relevant, not least because of the economic aspect of the project to make contact - humanity may be on the verge of the greatest discovery of all time, but to get the funding for their project, the protagonists must show that there will be economic benefit to what they are doing. Not so very different from what many research scientists experience today! Contact is more than just a science story. It's also a story about the human spirit, faith and belief. The religious response to the possibility of contact with extra-terrestrial life is a key component to the story, and Sagan wonderfully looks at both the positive and negative aspects of religion and public religious figures. Our search for knowledge, our desire to know whether there is anyone else like us out there in the universe, our desire to reach for something beyond ourselves, these are all spiritual aspects to our human existence.
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Book Group for October 2018: The Growing Season by Helen Sedgwick
The Growing Season by Helen Sedgwick is set in an alternative 'now', in which reproductive medicine has enabled anyone to give birth using a 'pouch', an artificial womb external to the body. It's easy to imagine how welcome a development this could be for those who cannot, for whatever reason, conceive naturally. Like any technology, however, there are downsides. In the world of the novel, the pouch has become ubiquitous, used by nearly everyone who wants a baby because it is promoted as safer than natural pregnancy and childbirth for both mother and baby. Those who choose not to use the pouch are ostracised, accused of unnecessarily putting their unborn child at risk. This exploration of society's attitude towards risk, and the assumptions that many today have that we are somehow entitled to a risk-free life is central to the story. When pouch stillbirths begin occuring, who is to blame? Is it the parents? Is it the company that manufactures the pouches? The question of commercial involvement in medicine, and corporate social responsibility and transparency also runs throughout the book. Helen Sedgwick worked in biophysics before becoming a writer, and the science behind the book is plausible. It many even be that far off research being done today. As biotechnology continues to move forward at a terrific pace, we need to ask the questions raised by The Growing Season about human identity, risk, and ethics.
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Science & Society Book Group
Each month we will be reading and discussing a different book. To join the book group, all you have to do is read the book and share your thoughts and insights here. Please keep all comments free of inappropriate language and relevant to the book under discussion.
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Book Group for April 2018: Next by Michael Crichton