While there is a mistrust, even a mistrust of science, there has never been so much debate, online discussion, contribution from the general public about it. In recent years, let us recall the debates and controversies on global warming, vaccines, masks or genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

Science arouses enthusiasm, commitment, contestation, controversy, and it happens to many citizens to express themselves about it, to take sides. Science thus seems to have become everyone's business. But is citizens' intervention on scientific issues always justified? What are the limits to democratic debate? How does the Internet in general, social networks in particular, breed monsters? What responsibility of the media, one of whose rules is the balance of points of view?

"Equality in the right of expression does not imply equality in legitimacy"

These are the questions posed by Annabelle Kremer-Lecointre, associate professor in life and earth sciences, author of scientific books, who published La science à l'épreuve des mauvais langues, ten preconceived ideas decrypted to understand the scientific approach, illustrated by Arnaud Rafaelian, published by Delachaux and Niestlé. The engineer by training, guest of this episode, returns today to a misconception: "Everyone has a say on science".

"About the [Covid-19] pandemic that has hit us in recent years," says the scientist in this interview, "everyone took sides, everyone talked about science, but not always knowingly. Freedom of expression is obviously indispensable in a democracy. It is precious. But having the right to do so does not mean that one is legitimate to do so. (...) Equality in the right of expression does not imply equality in legitimacy. Beware, too, of ultracrepidarianism, or the art of talking about what we do not know... Listen to this exchange above for free.

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