by Javier Echeverría (Ikerbasque, UPV/EHU) and Armando Menéndez (Universidad de Oviedo)

Transcription

1 Sciences and technologies in our lives: an axiological point of view International Seminar Scientific and innovative cultures: social progress, Madrid, Fundación Ramón Areces, by Javier Echeverría (Ikerbasque, UPV/EHU) and Armando Menéndez (Universidad de Oviedo)

2 Social appropiation of science and technologies Merton (1942): Science includes Epistemology, Methodology and Axiology. Laudan s reticular model (Science and Values, 1984). Main way to promove scientific culture: Dissemination and social appropiation (and use) of scientific and technological knowledge, not only science news (informations about science). Scientific Education. Research as production of knowledge. Transfert of scientific knowledge to students, colleagues and organizations Dissemination of scientific knowledge (public understanding) Public (and private) use of scientific instruments (cloks, termometers, etc.). Technological development as production and distribution of technological engines: social use of technological products as indicator of social appropiation and progress Social appropiation of scientific methods. Examples: Scientific Medicine, Politics of Science (scientometrics, indicators, economics of science---), Nutrition Transfert of scientific values to society and life. I will focus on that point: Scientific Culture and Values.

3 Kuhn: scientific values "What, I ask to begin with, are the characteristics of a good scientific theory? Among a number of quite usual answers I select five, not because they are exhaustive, but because they are individually important and collectively sufficiently varied to indicate what is at stake. First, a theory should be accurate [ ]. Second, a theory should be consistent [ ]. Third, it should have broad scope [ ]. Fourth, and closely related, it should be simple [ ]. Fifth a somewhat less standard item, but one of special importance to actual scientific decisions a theory should be fruitful of new research findings [ ]. These five characteristics accuracy, consistency, scope, simplicity, and fruitfulness are all standard criteria for evaluating the adequacy of a theory. [ ] Together with others of much the same sort, they provide the shared basis for theory choice (The Essential Tension 1977, ). Evaluación científica del conocimiento. Peer System Review (Merton) Epistemic values: Putnam Otras evaluaciones del conocimiento (económica, social, política, medioambiental, moral, militar, religiosa, etc.)

4 Several epistemic values Accuracy, precision Consistency (internal and external) Generality Simplicity Fruitfulness Verificability, falsability, testability Empirical adequation Truthlikeness Truth (meta-value?) Others: understanding, inteligibility, prediction, originality, advancement, progress...)

5 Peer system review The key of scientific practice: Ethos of science Communitary impacts Certificating and validating knowledge Utility, applicability A procedure of (blind) evaluation Users evaluation Even system review: social impacts

6 Science, technology and innovation The emergence of technosciences and the imperative of innovating (since 1980) Technological innovation and social change. ICT, NBIC, BRAIN Relevance of innovative knowledge Innovation as a new criterium to evaluate scientific and technological knowledge Measuring R&D (Frascati Handbook), Measuring Innovation (Oslo Handbook) Studies of innovation and Politics of Innovation UE: From knowledge (European Knowledge Society) to innovation (Union Innovation 2020, innovative societies, social innovation and social progress)

7 Innovation as a new value (European Union) Aho Report 2006: It is unacceptable that the current state aid rules for I+D are based on the linear model of innovation when there is a broad academic, govern and industry consensus that the model is wrong CE 2006: The EU can only become comprehensively innovative if all actors become envolved and in particular if there is market demand for innovative products. This broad strategy needs to engage all partiesbusiness, public sector and consumers. This is because the innovation process involves not only the business sector, but also public authorities at national, regional and local level, civil society organizations, trade unions and consumers, COM (2006) 502 final, pp All forms of innovation need to be promoted, for innovation comes in many forms others than technological innovation, including organisational innovation and innovation in services, COM (2006) 502 final, p. 4 Union Innovation 2020, New Nature of Innovation (OECD 2010)

8 Hidden innovations NESTA (2006), The Innovation Gap, and NESTA 2007, Hidden Innovation. National Endowment for Science, Technology and Arts. Definition: the innovation activities that are not reflected in traditional indicators such as investments in formal R&D or patents awarded (NESTA 2007, p. 4). NESTA distinguished between science-based innovation and innovations non-based in scientific knowledge Four kinds of hidden innovations, including social innovation. UK Government, Nation Innovation (2008), p. 12: Innovation happens in all service and manufacturing sectors and in the public and third sectors. Promoting the culture of innovation in society and life, not only the scientific and technological culture.

9 Users Innovation Eric von Hippel 1998 and 2005 (Democratizing Innovation) Production, supply, distribution and use as sources of innovation. Scientists as users of scientific instruments Leading users and innovation

10 Prevalence of user-innovation in the EU (Innometrics, 2009) The findings show that a substantial minority of innovative firms in the EU are involved in process and product modification (around 30%), and more than half such firms involve users in support of their innovative activities. User innovation is also more or less evenly spread across industrial sectors and across EU countries. A clear message from the analysis undertaken in this report is that firms engaged in user innovation can be classed as ìsuper-innovatorsî. Compared to other innovative firms, they are more likely to introduce new products, processes or services. They are also more likely to initiate new organizational methods. Table 3 reports the proportion of innovative firms that are user innovators in the three categories discussed above. The results show that of the 4,400 innovative firms in the 2007 IB survey 30.3% are User Process Innovators, and 27.7% are User Product Innovators. In contrast a much higher proportion of the 4377 innovative firms in the 2009 Survey are User Involvers: 53.1%.

11 The Culture of Innovation: Other competences ans skills Entrepreneurship Coworking: cooperation and competition Technological competences Communicational competences (marketing) Innovation and Education: Learning by doing, by playing, by interacting Unssuccesful innovations (Castells, 90%). Laerning to loss. Taking risks Creating value (economic, social, cultural) Evaluation of innovation processes, results and consequences (innovation risks). Innovation bareers Value Networks (value chain, Porter) and stakeholders in an innovation prcess Users innovation (von Hippel) Social Innovation and Social Progress

12 From sciences to technosciences Big Science (Solla Price), since II. World War Technosciences: since 1980 Changes of the structure of scientific practice National Systems of R+D+i Scientific practice oriented by a plurality of values: institutional values Information and communication technologies Techno-scientific revolution Sciences, techniques, technologies and technosciences

13 Techno-scientific Culture Queraltó 2003, 26-7: lo que ha ocurrido es la integración total de ciencia y tecnología... el término tecnociencia describe ese fenómeno de forma precisa Synthese of heterogeneous cultural traditions: scientists, technologists, entrepreneurs, politicians (laws), armies... A mixed culture with structural problems A mixed system of values External values: social, cultural, ecological, moral, aesthetic, religious, military, etc. Scientific knowledge becomes a tool to innovate Risks: Social lack of confidence towards several technosciences Moral, social, political, ecological and religious conflicts

14 Different kinds of values Basic Natural Epistemic Technological Economic Military Juridical Political Cultural Social Ecological Aesthetic Religious Moral