Utiliser la science-fiction pour partager les sciences

Abstract

This article describes the evolution of authors’ practices in his use of science fiction to popularise scientific culture. The first stage consists of analysing science fiction from a scientific point of view and questioning the relationship between science and the imagination. The second stage is an investigation of scenes from literary or cinematographic science fiction in order to extract implicit informations. Comparable to that of an astrophysicist, this practice allows the audience to use their knowledge to argue the case, to introduce them to the scientific approach and to go beyond simple factual criticism. Science fiction is a fertile ground for discussing science, creating a shared experience with the public and integrating science into our culture. By shifting our mind to an imaginary world, we are better able to return to our world and understand its mechanisms.

Keywords

• teaching practice
• popularisation of knowledge
• astrophysics
• experimental sciences