Science Anxiety: An Evening with The New Atlantis

Science and science journalism are in a crisis that permeates American society, from the highest levels of government and business to the daily lives of those far removed from policy debates. Scientists churn out more publications than ever, yet much research is turning out to be dubious, not replicable, or simply wrong. Public debates on climate change, vaccines, and GMOs are torn between irrational paranoia of the scientific establishment and zealous deference to technocratic authority. A long-promised era of miracle breakthroughs in medicine, energy, and transportation has fizzled.

Ari Schulman, editor of The New Atlantis, a quarterly journal of science and society published in Washington, D.C., will address our “science anxiety” and what to do about it. An open discussion will follow; wine and light refreshments will be served.