Dewey for the 21st century: Lotte Krabbbenborg & Arie Rip

Transcription

1 Dewey for the 21st century: on the role of CSOs Lotte Krabbbenborg & Arie Rip

2 Goal and background Goal: rethink current roles of CSOs, policymakers and spokepersons for nanot in governance of nanotechnology Background question: how to adapt the current division of moral labour to new and changing circumstances?

3 Nano governance NanoT is accompanied by attempts at anticipatory governance One form is to create responsible development and innovation by more and better interactions between technology and society My observation: one element is the emergence of a monstrous alliance between policymakers, some spokepersons for nanot and CSOs

4 Involvement of CSOs CSOs as new dialogue partner CSOs are invited to join nanodebates Netherlands: Societal Dialogues Germany: Nanodialog EU: interest in FP6 Nanocap Current involvement of environmental organizations, consumer groups, trade unions Their role? CSOs as representative: voices of civil society

5 Observation (1) monstrous alliance between policymakers, some spokepersons of enactors and CSOs Former need to show that they have engaged with society and thus need actors that they can engage with: position CSOs as voice of civil society CSOs need to survive and thus position themselves as voice of civil society Both parties have an interest in claiming that CSOs are voice of civil society legitimacy politics

6 Observation (2) One consequence of these monstrous alliance : processes of interaction between technology and society become role play Policymakers and some spokepersons call for dialogue (prudentially) CSOs emphasize risks for humans and environment, call for precaution and regulation

7 Example: Dutch Government Action Plan Nanotechnology the cabinet wants to work on a social basis for nano technologies by engaging in dialogue with citizens. If there is one thing that we have learned from the debate on genetically modified organisms, it is that societal acceptance of technologies that contain ethical questions next to risks, comes only about when these questions are taken seriously in an early stage, and are dealt with the required prudence (Parliamentary Documents, 2006)

8 Another consequence: repetitiveness Dutch citizens find it important that risks for human health are taken care of within the development of nanotechnology ( ) Especially in the field of cosmetics and food (Final report of Dutch Societal Dialogue, Jan 2011) Similar findings in UK Nanojury: recommendations of the Nanojury mainly centered around the promises and risks of manufactured nanoparticles (Pidgeon et al)

9 More dialogue? Sounds progressive But if repetitive, it becomes conservative Unavoidable? Opening up and closing down

10 How to break open the alliance? Dewey s pragmatic political philosophy public involvement always in relation to problematic situations role of representatives and state second to issues Dewey for 21st century? New roles?

11 Dewey and the search for publics Public involvement (in politics) starts with problematic situations: not clear how to act, how to decide, what causes and effects are etc. Calls for inquiry, reflection, imagination and experimentation Former ideal: small scale communities, face to face contact, people can have practical, existential experience of problematic situation (and thus want to deal with it) But, Dewey adds

12 Complex, entangled world Technology developments increases complexity, but also increases involvement (cf. discussion about deliberative approaches) Dewey calls for constant inquiry into consequences of acts and see if and how current institutions, habits, vocabularies are sufficient to deal with it

13 Publics emerge and disappear Dewey: the public consists of all those who are indirectly affected by the consequences of actions (passive protopublic) No family or social relation Bound by an issue Public also actively have to organize themselves to recognize problematic situations and set aside representatives to make sure their issues are taken care of Public is not a given, must be discovered and searched for

14 Representatives and state When issues are articulated Representatives must be set apart to make sure issues are taken care of Representatives together form the state When issues are settled, rediscovery of the state

15 Difficulty with public involvement Publics are inchoate Community of strangers Difficulty in actively organizing themselves and Difficulties in recognizing problematic situations and articulating issues

16 Dewey s alternative? His perspective undermines legitimacy of current monstrous alliance There is no civil society given beforehand! But evolving patchwork of publics Current nano debate should be inquiry of concrete problematic situations Instead of repetition of issues, articulation of issues related to problematic situation Instead of involvement based on visibility, involvement on basis of issues

17 Dewey s optimism Every problematic situation will be recognized, so no orphan issues When issues are articulated, they will be settled

18 Dewey for 21st century Publics are not that inchoate anymore around new and emerging technologies We have spokepersons for issues or more generally More communication and information But complexity is reduced By emerging repertoires around new S&T (Rip&Talma 1998) Proponent opponent Risk repertoire: containing what could escape

19 Orphans Debates between technology and society are limited to issues of risks and safety Backgrounded: techno moral issues (Swierstra et al)

20 Repositioning of CSOs? CSOs as watchdogs? Links to Dewey s call for inquiry and problematic situations But this can lead to another role play Companies (Bayer, NCV) think already in those terms: we don t want to wake up sleeping dogs

21 Repositioning policymakers? Instead of having a fulltime job as a civil servant ( functionary ) Policy maker as seconded to the state, to address problematic situations and issue articulation So you are less interested in legitmacy politcs but more in solving problems

22 Concluding remark Think in terms of overlapping spaces where stakeholders can meet, probe each others worlds, articulate issues, rehearse how those issues might be taken care of (current institutions expand their responsibilities; or new institutions?) Spaces can (and do) emerge Spaces can be created for a specific purpose (cf. strategy articulation workshops) Instances of Dewey s call for dramatic rehearsal