Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Participating Despite Questions: Toward a More Confident Participatory Technology Assessment

Commentary on: “Questioning ‘Participation’: A Critical Appraisal of its Conceptualization in a Flemish Participatory Technology Assessment”

  • Commentary
  • Published:
Science and Engineering Ethics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

While the important challenges of public deliberations on emerging technologies are crucial to keep in mind, this paper argues that scholars and practitioners have reason to be more confident in their performance of participatory technology assessments (pTA). Drawing on evidence from the 2008 National Citizens’ Technology Forum (NCTF) conducted by the Center for Nanotechnology in Society at Arizona State University, this paper describes how pTA offers a combination of intensive and extensive qualities that are unique among modes of engagement. In the NCTF, this combination led to significant learning and opinion changes, based on what can be characterized as a high-quality deliberation. The quality of the anticipatory knowledge required to address emerging technologies is always contested, but pTAs can be designed with outcomes in mind—especially when learning is understood as an outcome.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. Personal communication from Mark Philbrick.

References

  • Brown, M. (2006). Citizens’ panels and the concept of representation. The Journal of Political Philosophy, 14(2), 203–225.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cobb, M. D. (2011). Creating informed public opinion: Citizen deliberation about nanotechnologies for human enhancements. Journal of Nanoparticle Research, 13, 1533–1548.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Guston, D. H. (1999). Evaluating the first US consensus conference: The impact of the citizens’ panel on telecommunications and the future of democracy. Science, Technology and Human Values, 24, 451–482.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hamlett, P., Cobb, M., & Guston, D.H. (2008). National citizens’ technology forum: Nanotechnologies and human enhancement. CNS-ASU report #R08-0003. Tempe, AZ: Center for nanotechnology in society as Arizona State University. Available at http://www.cns.asu.edu/cns-library/type/#report.

  • Philbrick, M., & Barandiaran, J. (2009). The national citizens’ technology forum: Lessons for the future. Science and Public Policy, 36(5), 335–347.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Selin, C. (2011). Negotiating plausibility: Intervening in the future of nanotechnology. Science and Engineering Ethics, 17, this issue.

  • van Oudheusden, M. (2011). Questioning ‘participation’: A critical appraisal of its conceptualization in a flemish participatory technology assessment. Science and Engineering Ethics, 17, this issue.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Consortium for Science, Policy, and Outcomes Arizona State University, P.O. Box 875603, 1120 South Cady Mall, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA

    David H. Guston

Authors
  1. David H. Guston
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to David H. Guston.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Guston, D.H. Participating Despite Questions: Toward a More Confident Participatory Technology Assessment. Sci Eng Ethics 17, 691–697 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11948-011-9314-y

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11948-011-9314-y

Keywords

Search

Navigation