Science in the Movies

Matteo Merzagora

In the contemporary Western world, almost everyone watches movies. Scientists are often portrayed in movies, and as a consequence, every Western citizen has some experience of science and scientists as portrayed in the movies. And scientists also watch movies. These are all good reasons to take the representation of science and scientists seriously in cinematography. This is true from at least three points of view: the insights that these representations provide for the understanding of public perception of science, the effects they may have on public perception of science, and the effects they may have on science itself. Popular movies are an example of so-called implicit science communication, that is, an effective and powerful form of communication about science and its perceived goals, impacts, and values that are embedded in cultural products but do not include science communication among their explicit objectives. Movies reflect how science permeates—and sometimes is permeated ...

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