Museum of Doubt - (Academia Press) by Marjan Doom (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

In a world longing for certainty and clear-cut answers, The Museum of Doubt makes a powerful case for doubt, vulnerability, and complexity as driving forces of both science and citizenship

In a world longing for certainty and clear-cut answers, The Museum of Doubt makes a powerful case for doubt, vulnerability, and complexity as driving forces of both science and citizenship. Professor Marjan Doom, director of the Ghent University Museum (GUM) & its neighboring botanical garden, invites readers to reflect on the role of science museums today. Drawing on personal experience and curatorial case studies, she reveals how art and science enrich one another, how doubt is not a weakness but a necessity, and how museums can bridge the gap between science and society. A sharp and compelling ode to critical thinking.

About the Author

As a veterinarian at Ghent University, Prof. Dr. Marjan Doom conducted research into animal anatomy, with a specific focus on the vascular system. As director of the Ghent University Museum and its neighboring Botanical Garden, she explores the intersections of science, art, and society. Her work highlights doubt, imagination, and critical thinking as essential to science, art and citizenship. She is a public speaker (TEDx), a board member at Musea Brugge and Forum Wissen (University Museum of Göttingen), and a member of the faculty in the Culture & Education research group at Ghent University.