Sensitization: reciprocity and reflection in scientific practice

Bob Dylan sang that “the times, they are a‐changin'” with reference to the profound social upheaval of the 1960s in the USA and Western Europe; but he could just as easily have been referring to the changes in the perception and conduct of scientific research in that period. Before and throughout the Second World War, science was regarded to be a somewhat disconnected, exclusive activity. Scientists, so the thinking went, would be most successful if protected from the influence of social demands. However, the increasing impact of scientific discoveries on society—for example, the invention of nuclear weapons, the arms race with the Soviet Union and the perceived dangers of genetic engineering—profoundly changed this attitude and, with it, the role of science in and for society.> Science is no longer detached from society, as its products—both knowledge and technology—affect society in many waysIn response, there was a shift in science policy to try to re‐connect science with society in an attempt to control and direct the perception of science's merits. Nowadays, scientists are aware of the changes that are taking place to the role that their research has in modern society; the ivory tower is crumbling before our eyes. As Frank Gannon put it in an Editorial in 2006: “the changes that are taking place now are the result of [a] recognition that the old ways are no longer good enough” (Gannon, 2006).Another indication of the increasingly intimate relationship between science and society is the space that leading scientific journals devote to discussing research budgets and national and international science policies. Today's science is in stark contrast to the ‘old’ image of scientists conducting experiments and acquiring knowledge out of sheer curiosity, free from the influences of societies or governments.Moreover, science is increasingly mobilized to address social …