New TATuP issue: “Science fiction and technology assessment”
Science fiction authors are more than just creators of captivating stories. Their work shapes visions of the future, inspires technological developments, and helps reflect on social injustices. According to the guest editors of the current TATuP issue, all of this makes science fiction a valuable creative complement to technology assessment (TA). The articles in this Special topic section use, among other things, concrete examples to show how evidence-based research can benefit from the perspectives offered by the literary genre.
The TATuP interview also addresses the influence of science fiction on technological development. Arne Sönnichsen, an expert on space policy at the IQIB (Institut für qualifizierende Innovationsforschung und -beratung), explains how the military and space agencies draw on science fiction when developing future scenarios.
Other research articles explore the philosophical and anthropological dimensions of TA and possibilities for practice-oriented TA courses at universities. In the section “5 questions to …,” Karl Lauterbach, a member of the German Bundestag and chair of the committee responsible for TA, discusses his perspective on the field of research. (July 09, 2026)
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