Technology assessment of sociotechnical futures

A proposal for the scientific positioning of vision assessment in the field of knowledge politics

Authors

  • Andreas Lösch Institut für Technikfolgenabschätzung und Systemanalyse (ITAS), Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT) (DE)

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14512/tatup.26.1-2.60

Keywords:

knowledge politics, reflexive technology assessment, socio- epistemic practices, sociotechnical futures, vision assessment

Abstract

Visions of technology, guiding visions, and future scenarios are imaginaries of far-reaching “sociotechnical futures” that relate imagined technological developments to changes in society. They present particular analytical challenges to technology assessment (TA), concerning both the assessment of the meanings and impacts of these imaginaries in innovation processes and the self-reflexive positioning of TA itself within the field of knowledge politics. Answering to the demands of the discussion paper on “Technology assessment of sociotechnical futures” for a self-reflexive positioning of TA in the analyzed processes, a suggestion is made as to how TA’s vision assessment can reflect upon its own role by understanding its own research, consulting and design of sociotechnical futures as socio-epistemic practices, positioning itself accordingly in the field of knowledge politics.

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Published

15.08.2017

How to Cite

1.
Lösch A. Technology assessment of sociotechnical futures: A proposal for the scientific positioning of vision assessment in the field of knowledge politics. TATuP [Internet]. 2017 Aug. 15 [cited 2024 Mar. 28];26(1-2):60-5. Available from: https://www.tatup.de/index.php/tatup/article/view/34

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