with contributions from Mini-symposium “The management of uncertainty in risk science and policy”, World Congress on Risk Brussels, 22-25 June 2003. Organised by Silvio Funtowicz, Knowledge Assessment Methodologies Sector, European Commission Joint Research Centre with contributions from Jeroen van der Sluijs, Copernicus Institute, Utrecht John Grin, University of Amsterdam Claudia E. Natenzon Univeristy of Buenos Aires Marcelo Firpo Porto, National School of Public Health, Rio de Janeiro Matthieu Craye and Andrea Saltelli, JRC http://www.jrc.cec.eu.int/uasa

Silvio’s thoughts on the symposium Risk governance and the role of science when “facts are uncertain, values in dispute, stakes high and decision urgent” Inversion of the “hard” science, “soft” policy judgements relation The management of uncertainty as an interface between science, policy and society. -> Mathieu’s reflexive uncertainty management Changes in the knowledge infrastructure -> John Grin’s paper http://www.jrc.cec.eu.int/uasa

Silvio’s thoughts on the symposium Changes in scientific and technologic expertise (Jereoen’s handbook and Andrea’s sensitivity analysis) as well as in the way a plurality of knowledge in involved into policy processes (Claudia Natenzon’s paper). Cultural, socio-economic, politic and institutional ingredients of vulnerability (Marcelo Firpo Porto) http://www.jrc.cec.eu.int/uasa

Uncertainty. Høeg. Uncertainty is not an accident of the scientific method, but its substance. Peter Høeg, a Danish novelist, writes in Borderliners (Høeg, 1995): "That is what we meant by science. That both question and answer are tied up with uncertainty, and that they are painful. But that there is no way around them. And that you hide nothing; instead, everything is brought out into the open". http://www.jrc.cec.eu.int/uasa