The museum of doubt – second edition with a new epilogue by Marjan Doom
Doubt. For some, it feels like a burden; for others, it is an invitation to think more deeply. For our director Marjan Doom, doubt is an indispensable driving force behind both science and art. In her book The museum of doubt – now in its second edition, with an epilogue marking our fifth anniversary – she explores how a museum can create space for beauty, vulnerability and complexity without losing the credibility of science.
This book was published five years ago, together with the opening of GUM. It provided a manifesto for the museum: not a conclusive narrative, but an open exercise for thinking that gives space for change and growth. Today, that story gets a new chapter. The publication has been reissued, with a brand-new afterword by Marjan, in which she looks back and at the same time looks ahead: how can a museum continue to reinvent itself in a world where truth is becoming increasingly complex?
A thought experiment that continues to resonate
When the GUM opened its doors, it offered Marjan a unique opportunity to fundamentally reflect on the role of a science museum in the 21st century. The result was not a traditional blueprint, but a plea for openness and dialogue. Art and science meet in the museum not as opposites, but as partners in questioning the world.
Marjan Doom
Author & Director GUM & Botanical Garden
By making room for other knowledge forms beyond scientific, the aim is not to relativise science, but rather to enrich it. A museum always operates at two timelines: it preserves timelessly while continually reinterpreting. That tension is its strength.
”A new epilogue: doubt as a compass
With her recent epilogue, Marjan adds a new layer to this manifesto. She emphasises that doubt is not a weakness, but rather a powerful compass in a time full of questions and uncertainties.
‘Doubt is essential to resisting seductive falsehoods in a world where truth becomes even more complex. Doubt is not an obstacle to experimentation, nor an excuse for indecision - it is a compass for interpreting results. – Marjan Doom
The museum of doubt is an invitation to anyone who is curious about the intersections between art and science, and who dares to embrace the idea that not everything has to be conclusive.
With this book – now in its second edition, with an afterword – Marjan invites us once again to cherish the unknown, to keep asking questions and to celebrate the beauty of doubt.
Now available in our museumshop or via academiapress.be.
