Schedule
The workshop spans an entire day, typically from 9:00 to 17:30. This is both a lot and very short, as taking a step back from our daily work, in order to talk and think about it, takes time. The workshop is organized so as to leave room for discussions that emerge throughout the day.
The workshop day is structured around four sequences:
- Why do you work in scientific research? Beyond individual answers that mix personal interests and opportunities, participants are encouraged to consider the social and economic elements that have shaped their experience.
- Cartography of values and dependencies: Make explicit and discuss important dependencies, tensions, contradictions or imbalances between different components (epistemic, economic, social, environmental) of our work in research.
- Exchange based on documentary resources: Identify polarizing questions in the group and start a discussion around them relying on relevant texts from the human and social sciences.
- Prospective: Formulate possible scenarios for scientific research in 2040; assess them for their likelihood, impact and desirability so as to envision a common scenario that could form the basis for more in-depth discussions.
Organization
One could be reluctant to a rather formal setting, with its rules and roles, for discussing such complex questions; we were too. Still, we see several reasons to adopt this format.- First, we need moderation rules to make sure everyone can speak freely.
- Then, we want to avoid an exchange that is limited to preconceived ideas on the subject, in favor of a collective effort to find some common ground without hiding differences.
- Finally, a setting that is unusual in academia can help participants feel safe while discussing topics on which they are not specialists.