Introducing The Geek Manifesto
Some of you will know me. Some of you won’t. I’m Mark Henderson — I’m Science Editor of The Times, and I’m also currently writing a book about science and politics. It’s called The Geek Manifesto, it’ll be published next spring by Bantam Press, and this blog is here so that you can contribute to it.
The idea behind the book is fairly simple. The geeks, nerds and dorks of this world are no longer apologising for their slightly obsessive interest in science and critical thinking. Through events such as Simon Singh’s libel case, the sacking of Professor David Nutt as the British Government’s chief drugs adviser, and the Science is Vital campaign to protect British science against spending cuts, they’re beginning to gather the confidence to fight for the causes that matter to them. They are creating an emerging political force, and one that is sorely needed.
Science and politics have never got as much out of one another as they could. Science doesn’t always get the support it deserves from politicians: poor funding, badly-framed regulation, and policy initiatives such as the immigration cap often hamper researchers and their research. Equally, politics doesn’t draw often enough on the problem-solving power of the scientific method — the best tool yet developed for working out what works.
Many of the most pressing social and political issues of our time would be more tractable if politicians were to listen more to the geeks. Whether we want to improve education or cut crime, to enhance public health or to generate clean energy, science and its experimental method is critical.
In The Geek Manifesto, I’ll be exploring some of the policy failures that have emerged from this disconnect between science and politics. I’ll also be looking for answers: what can governments do to improve matters, and what can geeks themselves do to put science more firmly on their radar?
And I’d like your help.
Over the next month or two, as I plan the book, I’d be grateful for any thoughts and contributions you might have. Can you point me towards good or bad practice in political engagement with science? Do you have any bright ideas about how those who value scientific thinking can see it more fruitfully exploited by ministers and civil servants? Who should I talk to? What should I read?
You can comment here, or you can talk to me on Twitter or Facebook. If you’d rather email me, I’ve set up an account at markgfh1 at yahoo dot co dot uk.
I want this to be a book that will draw on all your experience of science and politics, as well as mine. I’ll be very grateful for your contributions.
I’ll be posting more to ask specific questions, and to explain aspects of my approach in more detail, over the coming weeks. Given my deadline, I’m expecting the data-gathering phase of this project to be busiest through January and February, before I have to order my thoughts and start writing — but I’ll be open to ideas right up until I have to submit.
Given my own experience and expertise, The Geek Manifesto is going to be principally British in focus, but I’m keen to include case studies and ideas from other countries as well wherever they’re appropriate. If you’ve got an idea, please share, wherever it might come from.
Thanks in advance for your help!
Posted in Uncategorized 31 CommentsFour questions…
Thanks everyone who has commented here over the past few days, or who’s been in touch with me with their thoughts and ideas. It’s much appreciated and tremendously useful.
I thought I’d mention the four main questions I’m keen to get your answers to at the moment:
* What are the best examples of geek activism, what have they achieved and what can we learn from them?
* What else can geeks do to hold politicians and civil servants to account, and to promote better use of science in public contexts?
* What are the best examples of bad practice, where poor use of evidence or poor awareness of the methods of science have led to policy failures?
* Where have politicians and civil servants done well? Are there examples that could be emulated elsewhere?
Any specifics on these gratefully appreciated.
Posted in Uncategorized 8 CommentsThe rise of the geeks
One of the key things I’m looking to do in The Geek Manifesto is to chronicle and celebrate what I call the “rise of the geeks”. I’m thinking here of the way in which, over the past couple of years, people who care about scientific issues have started to form communities and networks, largely online but also through initiatives like Skeptics in the Pub.
As they (we) have started to realise that there are more people who agree with them than they might have appreciated, they’re starting to see the potential for activism. This has happened to coincide with a few biggish issues on which to campaign — Science is Vital, libel reform, homeopathy etc. It also led to somewhat higher profile for science in the 2010 UK election (though it was still anything but a major issue). There was the #scivote hashtag on Twitter, and we had the three big debates between the science spokespeople.
I think you can also see this phenomenon in the success of Ben Goldacre’s book, in Robin Ince’s Nine Lessons and Carols for Godless People, and even in the popularity of Brian Cox’s TV and radio work (Infinite Monkey Cage as well as Wonders).
What can you tell me about your involvement in all this? What motivated you to start agitating more on this sort of issue? Are there other events and initiatives I should be aware of, and include? And what can we learn from the successes and failures so far?
Posted in Uncategorized 11 CommentsScience isn’t just for science: my contribution to Edge.org
I’ve contributed a short piece to John Brockman’s annual Edge.org question. This year, he’s asking: “What scientific concept would most improve everybody’s cognitive toolkit?”
My answer is about the methods of science, and how they can be applied more widely than traditional “scientific” disciplines. It’s a theme that will be part and parcel of The Geek Manifesto.
Alok Jha in the Guardian has written up a nice summary of some of the other entries.
Posted in Uncategorized Leave a comment
Given my own experience and expertise, The Geek Manifesto is going to be principally British in focus, but I’m keen to include case studies and ideas from other countries as well wherever they’re appropriate. If you’ve got an idea, please share, wherever it might come from.
Thanks in advance for your help!
