Science, technology and democracy: Sense About Science lecture - podcast

In the lead-up to the 2015 general election in the UK, this year's Sense About Science lecture by Professor Steve Rayner, James Martin Professor of Science and Civilisation and director of the Institute for Science, Innovation and Society at Oxford University, looks at efforts to improve the contribution of science and evidence to policy; how to avoid slipping into technocratic approaches to policymaking; and how to protect scientific thinking from policy demands.

In particular, in his lecture "Science, Technology and Democracy: Dissecting the Anatomies of Controversy", Prof Rayner reflects on how the UK response to climate change has dulled the ability of science to be self-correcting.

With thanks to the British Library for kindly hosting the 2014 Sense About Science annual lecture; the Institution of Engineering and Technology; the Society for Applied Microbiology; The University of Reading's Walker Institute of Climate System Research, Wiley; and the Wellcome Trust.