The EuroScience Open Forum: an open arena reflecting multiple dimensions of contemporary science communication

Introduction. The role of science communication in defining modern knowledge societies In 1984 the French philosopher Jean-François Lyotard argued that «knowledge had become, over the past few decades, the primary force of production in the upcoming postmodern society1». A science-based society, where science translates into the Aristotelian tradition notion of scientia (perfect knowing), takes over the industrial one, originated two centuries before. Today, scientific knowledge is widely considered as the core of economic growth, driver for innovation and a possible answer to humanity’s greatest challenges such as shortage of resources and climate change. Because of such expectations, science communication comes to play a crucial role on, at least, three fronts: welfare, democracy and cultural identity2. Knowledge must be communicated to citizens, policy makers, entrepreneurs, so they can take advantage from it, enhance and strengthen our understanding of the world, develop new products and improve life quality. Beside welfare, democracy also benefits from science communication, as the decision-making is a practice more and more participative in our societies, engaging a variety of different publics. To let the general public in science-related debates as a key interlocutor, along with the understanding of scientific concepts, people must become familiar with how science works, be aware of its methodologies, practices, limitations and failings. Finally, science communication can directly mold the cultural fabric we live in by shaping our thinking about social issues, providing meaning and sense to the world, valuing knowledge as a public good and defining a shared social identity. This is especially true in Europe, where a deep-rooted political union as first envisaged by the Maastricht treaty in 1992 has still to come. But what do we exactly refer to when we talk about science communication? Over time, it has turned into something much more complex than a mere transmission, illustration or simplification of technical information by those who know to those who do not . Nowadays, science communication does not simply try to provide answers. It rather creates new environments where people with different expertises can face each other, debate, raise new questions and co-produce new solutions. This happens in a variety of contexts: science museums, festivals, events, workshops, conferences, public lectures and debates, journalistic publications, social media. In order to transfer knowledge, information must be «processed, integrated, understood 3» and, for this, science communication provides interpretative categories, instruments and schemes for thought and for interpreting reality which are tailored to suit specific audiences: scientists, academics, general public, students, policy makers, communicators, entrepreneurs...