Science Communication and Apocalyptic Prophecy

Following on from Lynda Walsh’s (Scientists as prophets: A rhetorical genealogy, Oxford University Press, 2013) work that compared the rhetoric of classical prophecy with that of twentieth-century public scientists such as Carl Sagan and Stephen Hawking, this talk will take a further look at how prophetic rhetoric, as well as the prophetic persona as described in the sociology of religion following Weber and his characterisation of the prophet, is being utilised in modern science communication. Particularly on the big, potentially world-changing, issues such as climate change, biodiversity loss or nuclear warfare, there are clear affinities between public science and the apocalyptic tradition of prophecy. Using case studies of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists and contemporary climate change activism, this talk will look at both the prophetic persona and prophetic rhetoric that is being employed as a way of persuading audiences to the urgency of the matter.