Imagined Futures in Science, Technology and Society

Imagining, forecasting and predicting the future is an inextricable and increasingly important part of the present. States, organizations and individuals have to almost continuously make decisions about future actions, financial investments or technological innovation without much knowledge of exact...

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Hauptverfasser: Verschraegen, Gert, Vandermoere, Frédéric, Braeckmans, Luc, Segaert, Barbara
Format: Buch
Sprache:eng
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Zusammenfassung:Imagining, forecasting and predicting the future is an inextricable and increasingly important part of the present. States, organizations and individuals have to almost continuously make decisions about future actions, financial investments or technological innovation without much knowledge of exactly what will happen in the future. Science and technology play a crucial role in this collective attempt to make sense of the future. Technological developments such as nanotechnology, robotics or solar energy shape how we dream and think about the future, while economic forecasts, gene tests or climate change projections help us to make images of what might occur in the future. This book provides one of the first interdisciplinary assessments of how scientific and technological imaginations matter in the formation of human, ecological and societal futures. Rooted in different disciplines such as sociology, philosophy and science and technology studies, it explores how various actors such as scientists, companies or states imagine the future to be and act upon that imagination. Bringing together case studies from different regions around the globe, including the electrification of the German car infrastructure, or genetically modified crops in India, Imagined Futures in Science, Technology and Society shows how science and technology create novel forms of imagination, thereby opening horizons towards alternative futures. By developing central aspects of the current debate on how scientific imagination and future-making interact, this timely volume provides a fresh look at the complex interrelationships between science, technology and society. This book will be of interest to postgraduate students interested in science and technology studies, the history and philosophy of science, sociology, cultural studies, anthropology, political sciences, future studies and literary sciences.
DOI:10.4324/9781315440842