Science Communication in Urban Thailand: Issues and Challenges Saowanee Chinnalong Submitted in accordance with the requirements for the degree of PhD. The University of Leeds School of Philosophy, Religion, and History of Science Centre for the History and Philosophy of Science June 2015 The candidate confirms that the work submitted is her own and that appropriate credit has been given where reference has been made to the work of others. This copy has been supplied on the understanding that it is copyright material and that no quotation from the thesis may be published without proper acknowledgement © 2015 The University of Leeds and Saowanee Chinnalong The right of Saowanee Chinnalong to be identified as Author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. 3 Acknowledgements First and foremost, I would like to express my sincere thanks and gratitude to my supervisors, Professor Graeme Gooday and Dr Martin Seeger. I would not have finished my thesis without their guidance and encouragement. Both of my supervisors have been supportive and patient, they have devoted their time and expertise to me and have put up and cheered me up with the challenges that kept turning up during my PhD. study. I am grateful for the guidance and thorough comments that my examiners, Dr. Felicity Mellor and Dr. Emma Tomalin have given me. I would also like to offer special thanks to, Dr Jonathan Topham and other lecturers in my department who has given me much useful advice. I would also like to offer thanks to my family: my Mum, my brother Theerapong (Nong A) who had not been able to be in this world to witness the success of my thesis, and my grandma – for their love, and support. Huge thanks go to Phannaphat Phromphan, Elizabeth Bruton, Rebecca Bowd, and Thomas McMeeking for their academic and moral support. 4 Abstract This thesis examines the key characteristics and challenges of science communication in contemporary urban Thailand. I argue that one key characteristic of science communication in Thailand is the significant role of the Science-Buddhism dialogue in public accounts of science, and I examine the vital role of media in this dialogue for the Thai middle-class. By tracing the history of science communication in urban Thailand, I suggest that the Science-Buddhism dialogue has long been engaged in the Thai cultural landscape, with political meanings since the 19th century. However, I argue that in contemporary Thai society, the key purpose in the dialogue has transformed from political aims to offering comfortable messages about the superiority of Buddhist cosmology. I argue that the dialogue has recently shifted a little: while demonstrating the compatibility between scientific knowledge and Buddhist teachings, and concluding that Buddhism is superior to science, a new highlighted theme is a focus on the individual beliefs of one Western scientist: Albert Einstein. In this thesis, I explore this new highlighted theme in popular depictions of Einstein, developing an understanding of his role in the Thai middle-class view towards science. Clearly Einstein is a scientific world celebrity whose biographies contains many myths created mainly by the American press. However, I show that in the Thai popular account, his fame arose instead from his alleged connections with Buddhism portrayed by the Thai press. I show that Einstein’s supposed commitments to Buddhist teaching are tenuous, and difficult to authenticate. The middle-class and the media’s significant interest towards a Buddhistized Einstein in the Science-Buddhism dialogue is grounded in the Thai public’s interest primarily in non-economic cosmologically-oriented science. This has become a significant challenge for the government trying to engage the middle-class with economic forms of science that can help to develop industrial growth. A key challenge facing the government trying to motivate this indigenous form of Thai economic science by harnessing it to nationalist goals and associations with specific 5 monarchs, is the middle-class’s significant interest in a non-economic view of science based on a Buddhistized Einstein. These challenges have generated an inevitable tension between the government and the middle-class, leading to the government’s perception of the middle-class as being cold to science. I suggest that one possible solution to ease the tension would be for the government to take a less-secular approach toward science by engaging with the Science- Buddhism dialogue to raise it to a more intellectual level. By that means we may hope that the government could succeed in creating a productive indigenous form of Thai science with the middle-class’s support. 6 Table of Contents Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................. 3 Table of Contents .................................................................................................................... 6 List of Tables ............................................................................................................................ 9 List of Figures ........................................................................................................................ 10 List of Abbreviations and Acronyms ..................................................................................... 11 Note on Thai words, system of Romanizing and referencing ............................................... 12 Chapter 1: Introduction ........................................................................................................ 13 Methodology ................................................................................................................................. 25 Chapter 2: Analysing landscape of science communication in Thailand: Historical and contemporary .................................................................................................................. 38 2.1 The historical analysis of science development in Siam/ Thailand. ........................................ 39 2.2 The overview of science position in the contemporary Thailand ........................................... 49 2.3 The science communication outlets in Thailand ..................................................................... 71 2.4 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................... 90 Chapter 3: The Significant Role of the Science-Buddhism Dialogue in Science Communication Thai Landscape. ............................................................................................................... 92 3.1 The Science-Buddhism dialogue in popular books .................................................................. 94 3.2 The Science-Buddhism dialogue in selected newspapers ..................................................... 131 3.3 The Science-Buddhism dialogue in Pantip online forum. ...................................................... 139 7 3.4 Discussion .............................................................................................................................. 155 Chapter 4: The Popular Account of Einstein in Thailand. ................................................... 161 4.1 Einstein in popular books ...................................................................................................... 162 4.2 Einstein in the Thai newspapers ............................................................................................ 191 4.3 Einstein in Pantip online forum ............................................................................................. 214 4.4 Discussion .............................................................................................................................. 223 Chapter 5: The Indigenization of Einstein in the Thai Popular Account. ............................ 228 5.1 The indigenization of Einstein in popular books ................................................................... 230 5.2 The indigenization of Einstein in newspapers ....................................................................... 248 5.3 The indigenization of Einstein in Pantip online forum .......................................................... 260 5.4 Discussion .............................................................................................................................. 274 Chapter 6: A contrast between the Approaches and Practices of the Government’s Science Communication and the Middle Class .......................................................................... 280 6.1 The popular science books published by the government (NRCT, TRF and NSTDA)............. 281 6.2 The science television programmes by the NSTDA ............................................................... 292 6.3 The Thai National Science Museum (NSM)’s exhibitions ...................................................... 297 6.4 The revival of Traiphum ......................................................................................................... 314 6.5 Discussion .............................................................................................................................. 317 Chapter 7: Conclusion ......................................................................................................... 320 7.1 The key characteristics of science communication in Thailand. ..........................................