New publication of ITAS: "Rationality in an Uncertain World" [13.07.2005]

The contributions of this book are the results of the 1st workshop of the "Forum on Sustainable Technological Development in a Globalising World". The "Forum" attempts to achieve the following:

  1. Organisation of annual multi- and transdisciplinary workshops bringing together different research perspectives and different participant perspectives (the former through the reunion of representatives of different scientific disciplines, the latter through participation by e.g. scientists, students, representatives of enterprises and NGOs, etc.);
  2. Establishing a transatlantic discussion;
  3. Enabling the exchange of opinions and experiences between European countries leading technically on the one hand, and so called "transition-countries";
  4. Publication of important results in different ways.

The first workshop devoted to the subject "Rationality in an Uncertain World" took place in Budapest from the 4th to the 6th of December 2003. This event, organized and led by Imre Hronszky and Gerhard Banse, focussed on the following two problems:

  1. possibilities of rational decisions with respect to technical developments under the condition of uncertainty, i.e. the meaning of, the living in and the coping with an uncertain world.
  2. perspectives of technical innovations in a changing social environment, in particular from the perspective of ecological sustainability and its social pre-requisites.

The nineteen contributions to the book - based on the lectures at the workshop - can be assigned to the following focus themes: "Rationality in an Uncertain World", Sustainable Technological Innovation in a Changing Social Environment", "Politics of Technology in a Globalising World", "Conclusions for Policy Making" and "Conclusions for Higher Education". They were written by representatives from eleven countries of three continents (America, Australia, Europe), who represent different disciplines of the natural-, technical, social and humanities as well as politics and economy. All together they constitute - in line with the ambitions of the Forum - an interesting panorama of different views, approaches, priority settings, proposed solutions and experiences.

Bibliographic information:
Gerhard Banse, Imre Hronszky, Gordon Nelson (eds.):
Rationality in an Uncertain World. Berlin: edition sigma, 2005 (Gesellschaft - Technik - Umwelt, Neue Folge 5), ISBN: 3-89404-935-9, 312 Seiten, 22,90 Euro

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