Prendre la société européenne de la connaissance au sérieux - Taking European Knowledge Society Seriously
This presentation will capture some of the more central debates and conclusions reached in the framework of a recent group report on “Science and Governance” to the Science, Economy and
Society Directorate of the European Commission. Starting from the EC’s question of how to respond to a perceived public unease with science, the mandate was to reflect upon potential improvements of the involvement of democratic civil society in European science and governance. The expert group brought together insights from the broad field of science and technology studies aiming at contributing to a different and broader understanding of the issues at stake in European science and governance and thus potentially to a more robust and sustainable form of knowledge society. These questions will be addressed by focusing on the key-issues identified by European policy makers. These were: innovation, its directions and ways of distribution; Risk and Ethics as normative issues framing potential developments, and finally, European publics, their formation and encounters with science. Yet, crossing these lines of reflection, broader issues like the way contemporary societies learn but also what are grand narratives framing our potential futures will be addressed.
Ulrike Felt, Professor in Social Studies of Science, Vienna University