With the Académie des Sciences in 2013-2014

With the Académie des Sciences in

2013 - 2014

History of science and epistemology

The

Comité histoire des sciences et épistémologie

(Standing Committee for the

Science History and Epistemology) has also triggered off two colloquia in 2013-

2014:

L’Enseignement Philosophique et les Sciences: Nouvelles Perspectives

[Philosophy Teaching and Sciences: New Prospects]

on 13 November 2013,

and

Les scientifiques et l’épistémologie: la rationalité scientifique aujourd’hui

[Scientists and Epistemology: Scientific Rationality Today]

on 10 December

2014. Sciences are currently studied within various frameworks, both inside and

outside science classes themselves. The scientists’ contributions to reflection

in their own fields of study in the last century have been most memorable. With

relativism increasingly influencing the mindsets of the decision-making milieus,

a bias towards short-term research projects is at risk of being favoured, to

the detriment of less-targeted, yet promising, research. Where does scientific

rationality currently stand? During this colloquium, academicians from

various disciplines have contributed to this self-reflection of science.

Advice Notes and Reports

The digital revolution: how does it impact the developing brain?

L’enfant et les écrans [Children and Screens], an Advice Note, January 2013. J.-F. Bach, O. Houdé, P. Léna, S. Tisseron, Le Pommier

Ed, 2013, 272 p

The construction of the brain functions depends upon the nature of the sensory, affective and cultural

stimulations from the outside. Children’s exposure to digital screens has thus a crucial impact. What

are the risks for dependency or regressive phenomena of a child facing screens? What role may

play interactive tablets and other new digital tools in knowledge learning and transmission? How

does it impact the child-parent relationship? How is it possible to regulate the access to screens and

not prohibit it? May video games and social networks be beneficial for teenagers? The Académie

des Sciences has confronted the most recent evidence in neurobiology, psychology and cognitive

sciences, psychiatry and medicine, to the fast-paced evolution of technologies and their uses. It takes stock of the issues, benefits

and risks brought about by this disruption and underpins the necessity to adopt a differentiated pedagogy, depending on the age of

each child, from babies to teenagers.

An appeal for true and proper computer science teaching

Teaching Computer Science in France: Tomorrow Can’t Wait!, a Report, May 2013

The Académie des Sciences beforehand emphasizes the distinction that should be made between

teaching “computer science” teaching and “digital education”, between teaching the perennial

basics of the computer science methodology and learning how to use tools and techniques

which appear and go out of date very fast. Having expressed such a warning, the report mentions

the conspicuously high potential of computer science for boosting the economic and cultural

development of our modern societies, and observes that computer science is devoted too small

a space in the education of students and French citizens. The Académie des Sciences issues

recommendations that support the creation, in France, of a structured and adapted computer science teaching course,

provided by professors that would be specifically trained for it. Computer science should become a unified, autonomous

discipline, with its own ways of thinking and results.