Beyond Technocracy

"Will the ordinary man become a scientist?...Bucchi exposes the inadequacy of the ‘technochratic model’ but also the weaknesses of contemporary bioethics when facing the increasing dilemmas posed by science and technology to contemporary society."

-Il Corriere della Sera [Italian leading newspaper]

"Bucchi provides a clear, rigorous and accessible discussion – often enriched by a subtle irony – of complex and ambiguous issues, showing that science and innovation are not neutral terrains, but rather among the key conflictual contexts in which contemporary social and political changes take place."

-Italian Review of Sociology

"A dense but accessible book...Bucchi acutely describes the shortcomings of the technocratic and ethical responses to the contemporary dilemmas of science and technology."

-Italian Edition of the New York Review of Books

 
Nuclear energy, stem cell technology, GMOs: the more science advances, the more society seems to resist. But are we really watching a death struggle between opposing forces, as so many would have it? Can today’s complex technical policy decisions coincide with the needs of a participatory democracy? Are the two sides even equipped to talk to each other?

Beyond Technocracy: Science, Politics and Citizens answers these questions with clarity and vision. Drawing upon a broad range of data and events from the United States and Europe, and noting the blurring of the expert/lay divide in the knowledge base, the book argues that these conflicts should not be dismissed as episodic, or the outbursts of irrationality and ignorance, but recognized as a critical opportunity to discuss the future in which we want to live. Massimiano Bucchi’s analysis covers the complex realities of post-academic science as he:

• Explores the widely debated theme of science and democracy across a broad range of technological controversies.
• Overviews issues raised by the current relationship among scientists, policymakers, business interests, and the public.

• Dispels stereotypes of the detached scientific community versus the uninformed general public.
• Examines the role of the media in framing scientific debate.
• Addresses the question of how to move beyond technocracy to a more fruitful collaboration between scientists and citizens.
• Offers a bold vision for a future in which the scientific and public spheres regard each other as partners working toward...read more...