ISC Presents
ISC Presents
International Science Council
ISC Presents is a podcast by the International Science Council. Our short episodes provide listeners with a melting pot of insightful discussions and thought provoking debates through the voices of guests and experts of the international scientific community. We discuss the challenges, stories, and celebrations of science while seeking to encourage international action on concerns to both science, and society. We look forward to listening with you.
Science Fiction and the Future of Science: Cory Doctorow - Leveraging Digital Advancements for the Future
In this last episode, we invite Cory Doctorow, a science fiction author, activist, and journalist from Canada. He is the author of many books, most recently The Lost Cause, a solarpunk science fiction novel of hope amidst the climate emergency. Our conversation touches on digital rights management, social justice and sustainability in the digital world.
Dec 11, 2023
15 min
Science Fiction and the Future of Science: Qiufan Chen - Values and Senses in Artificial Intelligence
Qiufan Chen is an award-winning Chinese speculative fiction writer, author of Waste Tide and co-author of AI 2041: Ten Visions for Our Future. He is also a research scholar at Yale University and a fellow of Berggruen Institute. Our main discussion centres around artificial intelligence, how we can harness the power of this technology while avoiding the dangers it poses.
Dec 4, 2023
13 min
Science Fiction and the Future of Science: Fernanda Trías - Lessons from an Eco-Dystopia
This fourth episode invites Fernanda Trías, an award-winning writer from Uruguay and an instructor of creative writing in Colombia. She has published a short story collection and four novels, including the English-translated book Pink Slime. We ask her whether horror can bring about change, and why there is the need to integrate the arts and sciences.
Nov 27, 2023
11 min
Science Fiction and the Future of Science: Vandana Singh - Data, Narrative, and Transdisciplinarity
In this third episode, we invite Vandana Singh, a science fiction writer hailing from India, to speak about her views on the science and fiction intersection. She is also a transdisciplinary scholar of climate change and a professor of physics and environment. We discuss the limits of data, the power of narrative, and whether our conception of time could help us think about responsibility in science.
Nov 20, 2023
14 min
Science Fiction and the Future of Science: Karen Lord - Long-Term Thinking in Policymaking
Barbadian writer Karen Lord is an award-winning author of Redemption in Indigo, The Best of All Possible Worlds, and The Galaxy Game. Her latest book, The Blue, Beautiful World, was published in August 2023. We hear from her the lessons from the COVID pandemic, short-termism, and the power of literature to reach through time.
Nov 13, 2023
14 min
Science Fiction and the Future of Science: Kim Stanley Robinson - Science as a Political and an Ethical Project
In this first episode, we speak to Kim Stanley Robinson, a New York Times bestselling author and winner of the Hugo, Nebula, and Locus awards. He is the author of more than twenty books, including The Ministry for the Future. Listen to our conversation that covers many topics including the dangers of escapism, climate grief, and the myth of scientific objectivity.
Nov 6, 2023
20 min
How do we talk about science and knowledge?
In the last episode, we spoke about the many ways that distrust in science is expressed and the need for scientists to consider their own positions, including who they speak to and for. Which leads us neatly into today’s episode, where we focus on the link between communicating science and building knowledge. We need to look at how people process information and their own experiences to make knowledge that they can base decisions on. And the question is, what should science communication be doing about that?This  is a rerun of our 4-part podcast series 'Unlocking Science', where we discuss everything from social media and trust to identity and knowledge, seeking to discover how we can unlock science for everyone.
Jul 3, 2023
20 min
How do we talk about science and distrust?
In this episode, we explore different ways that distrust can be expressed and what drives that historically, situationally, even structurally. We will also look at how competing narratives can mean making sense of the science is an often difficult, complicated task.This  is a rerun of our 4-part podcast series 'Unlocking Science', where we discuss everything from social media and trust to identity and knowledge, seeking to discover how we can unlock science for everyone.
Jun 26, 2023
16 min
How do we talk about science and identity?
In this episode, we explore how our sense of identity affects our willingness to trust certain sources of information. We look at why the authority of traditional gatekeepers of expertise, like science academies, seems to be eroding. Have we misunderstood what social media can do and what might this have to do with the rise of identity politics? And of course, we will also reflect on what should be done by the science community for all of this.This  is a rerun of our 4-part podcast series 'Unlocking Science', where we discuss everything from social media and trust to identity and knowledge, seeking to discover how we can unlock science for everyone.
Jun 19, 2023
22 min
How do we talk about science and uncertainty?
In this episode we explore how uncertainties play a role in the process of scientific discovery and why this is such a challenge for the way we need to talk about science – with Courtney Radsch and Felix Bast.This  is a rerun of our 4-part podcast series 'Unlocking Science', where we discuss everything from social media and trust to identity and knowledge, seeking to discover how we can unlock science for everyone.
Jun 12, 2023
19 min
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