The status of science in the society has changed dramatically over the last few decades. Through technology, but also through continuous discoveries about the universe, matter and life, science is exerting a growing impact upon everyone’s daily activity, thoughts and dreams for the future. Yet at the same time – and this is a tremendous paradox – science is becoming more and more esoteric, with highly sophisticated concepts, techniques and vocabulary. One can say that the world of science is becoming more and more a foreign planet, inhabited by specialized peoples who seem to be reconstructing the Tower of Babel; yet at the same time, people are beginning to realise the direct, everyday influence of science on everybody’s existence, at both the individual and the social level. Science, notably biology and ecology, are furthermore giving rise to new ethical problems.
In this context, education is facing new challenges. Schools can no longer be mere providers of knowledge: in a changing world, learning, in itself, is not sufficient to prepare children to be responsible actors in their own lives and within the dynamics of society. On the other hand, non-formal education increasingly appears essential to the future citizen’s formation. This situation provides opportunities for museums to play a significant social role, with special focus on earth and life sciences and on environmental problems.
THE CHANGING ROLE OF NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUMS
Natural History Museums (NHMs) are often old institutions, a number of which where created during the 19th century. Previously – and still now in many cases – they presented collections and scientific knowledge without consideration of the composition and interests of their various publics: science was exhibited dogmatically for an undifferentiated public.
Nowadays, NHMs are evolving by using their growing knowledge of their different publics to structure a lively diversification of their activities. They create not only exhibitions, but also pedagogical documents, books, films, multimedia presentations and websites; furthermore, they organize conferences, round-tables, workshops, debates, etc., for various publics.
NHMs are not schools; they are not universities. They are unique institutions dealing at the same time with the conservation of collections, scientific research and cultural activities. Consequently, they are free to conceive their own special ways of mediation, and they have the opportunity to present science as a natural part of general culture, whereas science teaching often upholds the idea that science is a separate cultural field. From this perspective, NHMs have the possibility to invent new ways of "crossing" art, theatre, music, literature and science. In other words, they can conceive global cultural policies to foster the blossoming of citizens of any age.
SPECIFIC CONSTRAINTS YIELD OPPORTUNITIES
Obviously, museums of any kind are faced with specific constraints. They must, at the same time, preserve and to show their collections, which is a fundamental contradiction. But the obligation to present their collections – which are part of the collective heritage and memory – is also a opportunity. This is particularly true for NHMs: their collections enable visitors to discover specimens that the majority would never have the possibility to encounter in the field. The direct observation of authentic specimens collections can elicit a strong emotional response of surprise or aesthetic delight and stimulate curiosity. Museum specialists have seized upon this unique possibility and are conceiving new techniques of presentation, in order to link specimens, emotion and knowledge in an increasingly interactive way.
There is another constraint which is also an opportunity. Visitors are very different, and they are largely at liberty in their way of using the museums. Consequently, museums have to adapt their exhibitions and other activities to this diversity. Museum specialists are being called upon to create more effective exhibits, while cultural authorities are being called upon to explore new ways of integrating science into the general culture. Museums are obliged to be perpetually innovative institutions.
BIOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENT: CHALLENGING FIELDS FOR NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUMS
In the course of a few decades, biology has dramatically changed our understanding of life and our understanding of Man as a natural being. At the same time, ecology, environmental sciences and social sciences have produced new insights into Man’s relationships with the natural world.
New knowledge; new questions. We are faced with new aspects of uncertainty. As anxiety grows, Science appears perhaps more as a source of problems than as a means to solve them. There is a definite need for ethical perspectives.
In this general context, it is essential that NHMs take into account the more recent aspects of Biology and Environment. But new challenges are encountered. How can the NHMs display knowledge which is more and more abstract? How to display uncertainty? Are exhibitions suitable media for explaining the limits of knowledge? How to organize debates through exhibitions, between the visitors and the scientists, and among the visitors themselves? If exhibitions fail to stimulate such interactions, what can the NHMs do to encourage effective debates with the broadest possible public participation? It is always possible to address and involve the few people attending conferences and round-tables. It is also possible to organize forums on the Web. But only important exhibitions reach thousands of people. NHMs have to invent new exhibition concepts. In its role as mediator, the museum is in constant need of diversification, supported by creative imagination.
As media for biological and environmental education, NHMs face a highly stimulating future. In fact, a worldwide trend is underway: as many countries renovate their old museums or create new ones, NHMs are changing from dusty, repellent buildings into original cultural centres. The object, now, is to help everyone to become more active and more responsible, both locally and globally. In this context, there is an obvious necessity to develop an integrative approach in biology and the environmental sciences. NHMs are often well prepared to meet this challenge, as they frequently conceive exhibitions combining different fields, but they need to develop networks to exchange new ideas and expertise and to create a common pool of new specific media.