Overview
Imagining, forecasting and predicting the future is an inextricable and increasingly important part of the present. States, organizations and individuals almost continuously have to make decisions about future actions, financial investments or technological innovation, without much knowledge of what will exactly happen in the future. Science and technology play a crucial role in this collective attempt to make sense of the future. Technological developments such as nanotechnology, robotics or solar energy largely shape how we dream and think about the future, while economic forecasts, gene tests or climate change projections help us to make images of what may possibly occur in the future. This book provides one of the first interdisciplinary assessments of how scientific and technological imaginations matter in the formation of human, ecological and societal futures. Rooted in different disciplines such as sociology, philosophy, and science and technology studies, it explores how various actors such as scientists, companies or states imagine the future to be and act upon that imagination. Bringing together case studies from different regions around the globe, including the electrification of German car infrastructure, or genetically modified crops in India, Imagined Futures in Science, Technology and Society shows how science and technology create novel forms of imagination, thereby opening horizons toward alternative futures. By developing central aspects of the current debate on how scientific imagination and future-making interact, this timely volume provides a fresh look at the complex interrelationships between science, technology and society. This book will be of interest to postgraduate students interested in Science and Technology Studies, History and Philosophy of Science, Sociology, Cultural Studies, Anthropology, Political Sciences, Future Studies and Literary Sciences.
Full Product Details
Author: Gert Verschraegen (University of Antwerp, Belgium) ,
Frédéric Vandermoere (University of Antwerp, Belgium) ,
Luc Braeckmans (University of Antwerpen, Belgium) ,
Barbara Segaert (University of Antwerp, Belgium)
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd
Imprint: Routledge
Weight: 0.440kg
ISBN: 9780367890247
ISBN 10: 0367890240
Pages: 224
Publication Date: 12 December 2019
Audience:
College/higher education
,
Tertiary & Higher Education
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: In Print
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Author Information
Gert Verschraegen is Associate Professor in the department of Sociology at the University of Antwerp, Belgium. Frédéric Vandermoere is professor in the department of sociology at the University of Antwerp, Belgium. Luc Braeckmans is Professor in Philosophy at the Department of Philosophy of the University of Antwerp, Belgium. Barbara Segaert holds a master diploma in Oriental Studies, Islamic Studies and Arab Philology (KU Leuven), Belgium and a master in the Social Sciences (Open University), UK.
