題 目：Technology Assessment & the Unanticipated Consequences of Technological Innovation
主講人：Harry Rothman (曼徹斯特大學商學院榮譽教授、諾丁漢大學商學院教授)
時 間：2013年9月5日(星期四) 上午9:00-11:00
地 點：主樓418會議室
主講人簡介：
Harry Rothman教授是英國曼徹斯特大學商學院榮譽教授，諾丁漢大學商學院教授，國際期刊Technology Analysis and Strategic Management（SSCI檢索）和New Genetics & Society（SCI檢索）的創始編輯，現任Technology Analysis and Strategic Management（SSCI檢索）主編和New Genetics & Society（SCI檢索）榮譽主編。2005年獲聘社科院院士，同時也是英國皇家藝術學會成員、應用神經科學學會會員、世界未來協會專業學會成員。Harry Rothman教授長期致力于科學和技術政策領域的教學和研究工作，總計出版9本專著和100余篇學術文章和報告，主要研究方向為技術評估、科學計量學、生物技術的社會政策和發展問題等。目前的研究興趣主要包括在增強精神方面小說神經生物學技術和人類的潛能的發展。
內容簡介：
Our innovations, especially in technology, have often had consequences beyond those intended, when the solutions to problems have led to new unexpected problems. Philosophers and social scientists have speculated about the unintended consequences of action since the days of the ancient Greeks. Why do we so often fail to foresee consequences? Are there ways in which we could improve our foresight and better avoid unanticipated consequences? So deep and profound are the impacts of the productive activities of modern man since the Neolithic revolution, some 10-12000 years ago, that geologists have recently renamed our epoch the Anthropocene in recognition of human society’s impact on Earth. The impact has been largely negative, as witnessed by our destruction of biodiversity – an acceleration of background species extinction by 100 to 1000 fold, and global warming. Unfortunately as our productive forces and population have grown the destructive and unwanted consequences have intensified, thus posing technologists, amongst others, with an immense responsibility for their actions. I will argue the very concept of “unanticipated consequences” is contentious in so far as it might be seen to absolve actors of responsibility, and deeply pessimistic since it implies there might be nothing we can do to prevent such consequences.
