Use these questions to practice discussing science, politics, and the public in English. The goal is to think critically, argue clearly, and express yourself with confidence.
Climate change is accepted by the overwhelming majority of scientists, yet it remains a deeply political issue. Why has a scientific question become a political battleground? Who benefits from keeping it controversial?
Try to use: politicize, vested interest, consensus, policy, denial
Should governments follow scientific advice — even when that advice is unpopular, economically costly, or clashes with cultural values? Who ultimately should have the final say: scientists, politicians, or citizens?
Try to use: evidence-based policy, democratic, mandate, expertise, tradeoff
During public health crises, scientific guidance has sometimes changed rapidly — which confused and frustrated many people. Does updating advice undermine trust in science, or is it actually exactly what good science looks like?
Try to use: public trust, update, transparency, communicate, uncertainty
Some scientific advances — genetic engineering, artificial intelligence, nuclear technology — raise ethical questions that science itself cannot resolve. Who should decide how far we go? And what happens when different countries make different choices?
Try to use: ethics committee, regulation, unintended consequence, governance, boundary
Science education varies enormously across countries. Does poor scientific literacy make people more vulnerable to manipulation — by politicians, advertisers, or conspiracy theorists? Is scientific literacy a civic duty?
Try to use: scientific literacy, civic, vulnerable, manipulate, informed citizen
Has science ever been used to justify something deeply wrong — racism, eugenics, oppression? What does that history tell us about the relationship between scientific authority and moral responsibility?
Try to use: misuse, authority, justify, moral responsibility, historical