Hubris and Hybrids:
On the Cultural Assessment of
Nanotechnology
Andrew Jamison
An Essential Tension
hubris: ”impious disregard of the limits
governing human action in an orderly
universe”
hybrids: ”offspring of parents that differ
in genetically determined traits”
Hubris and Hybrids in S&T
atomic energy
appropriate technology
IT, biotech
sustainability
entrepreneurship
public participation
foresight
cultural assessment
technoscience
green knowledge
What is nano?

as hubris
–
–

an example of technoscience
a creation of entrepreneurship
as hybrids
–
–
a dimension of green knowledge
in need of public participation
Dealing with the Tension

educating phronesis, or moral judgment

telling stories of appropriation

focusing on contexts of use

providing a cultural assessment of S&T

making STS matter
Cultural Appropriation

At a discursive, or macro level
–

At an organizational, or meso level
–

structural and cognitive transformations
processes of institutionalization
At a personal, or micro level
–
practices of habituation and use
Discursive Appropriations

Protestantism and the mechanical philosophy

Positivism, marxism, evolutionary theory

”Science – The Endless Frontier”

The knowledge economy vs sustainability
Organizational Appropriations
From movements....
to institutions
The Reformation
Modern Science
The Enlightenment
Democracy
Socialism
Welfare State
”Computer Lib”
The Internet
Environmentalism
Green Knowledge
The Age of Technoscience

blurring discursive boundaries
–

breaking down institutional borders
–

between science (epistem) and technology (techne)
between public and private, economic and academic
mixing skills and knowledge
–
across faculties, disciplines, and societal domains
From Science to Technoscience

change in range and scope

market orientation, global reach

university-industry collaboration

”epistemic drift” (Elzinga)

the state as strategist: “picking the winners”
From Science to Research

from doing experiments to doing business
–

from providing expertise to governing
–

product-oriented, or commercial research
project-oriented, or governance research
from enlightening to empowering
–
problem-oriented, or advocacy research
Contending Discourses


commercial research: hubris goes to market
- globalization, competitiveness, innovation
governance research: controlling hubris
- welfare, employment, equality, construction

advocacy research: the hybrid imagination
–
global justice, scientific citizenship,
sustainability
Contending Institutions

commercial research
- innovation networks, patent systems, markets

governance research
- state agencies, regulations, policies, laws

advocacy research
- civic organizations, public education, assessment
Contending Identities

commercial research
- academic entrepeneurs, market researchers

governance research
- expert consultants, policy researchers

advocacy research
- activist academics, action researchers
Cultural Assessment of S&T

challenging the hype and the myths: reflection
– and giving voice to the critics

building bridges, making spaces: mediation
– between cultures and subcultures

doing change-oriented research: engagement
– studying cultural appropriation in action
Cultural Assesment of
Nanotechnology

public debate and dialogue
–
–

educational initiatives and reform
–
–

challenging the hype, qualifying the hope
telling stories of appropriation and alternatives
transcending faculty and disciplinary boundaries
giving contextual courses, fostering public educators
practical activities
–
–
public information programs and local experiments
interactive media and communication techniques
The Hybrid Imagination

At the discursive level: ”green nano”
–

At the institutional level
–

connecting problems and solutions
creating contexts of mediation
At the practical/personal level
–
project and problem-based learning