The science wars of the 1990s once again opened up the two-cultures debate, pitching rational science against the credulous and backward humanities (at least according to one caricature of the clashing positions). Yet at the same time, science communicators were developing a model of dialogue for their profession, listening to the public and taking their doubts seriously. This session looks at some novels from the ’90s to the present to see how they engage with these conflicting perspectives on popular scientific knowledge, including works by Don DeLillo, Jonathan Franzen and Ian McEwan. Do they provide a workable model to end the science wars once and for all, creating ‘one culture’ of science and literature?
'Literature and Science' is available for sale on the Foyles bookstore website.