How to Ensure That When a Minister Meets a Nobel Laureate They Both Have a Great Encounter

Abstract

Two people in a room are themselves and at the same time representatives of the complex and deep-rooted institutions of democracy and science. The Minister is usually under pressure to act. The scientist still faces reputational risk from engaging in policy. Science can be too slow or too fast for policy. A third person, the broker, may not even be in the room but can make a difference through thoughtful curation. Meeting these challenges requires participants to feel a degree of mutual empathy and respect. The flow of accessible knowledge and options for individuals to move between or straddle careers in academia and the public sector are increasing. The Two Cultures are no longer arts and sciences but rationality and sentiment, and humans need both.