The manifesto has a long and rich history. It had existed primarily in politics (e.g. the communist manifesto) and the arts (e.g. the surrealist manifesto)
Manifestos exist to be bold, to inflame, to engage, to provoke
They don’t really exist in science and science-adjacent fields.
The closest we get in those fields are typically agreements and compacts and codes of conduct.
Manifestos take many forms.
Today I follow a form common in the arts in the early 20th century and it draws on a history of manifesta and of art.
This is a manifesto for science communication.
You will not agree with everything I claim.
You will get angry at some of these statements.
That’s ok. But I want you to think about why you are inflamed.
Is it because I’m wrong? Or is it because I’m right?
Use the manifesto as a tool. To probe, to reflect, to react against, or to incorporate into your thinking.
(Originally presented at the Australian Science Communicators 2018 conference in Sydney, Australia, on November 12. Additional illustration and design in colour version below by Jo Bailey.)
Download a PDF of the manifesto
