Avoiding Empty Rhetoric: Engaging Publics in Debates About Nanotechnologies
journal contribution
posted on 2023-05-17, 00:32authored bySusan Dodds, Kyle, R
Despite the amount of public investment in nanotechnology ventures in the developed world, research shows that there is little public awareness about nanotechnology, and public knowledge is very limited. This is concerning given that nanotechnology has been heralded as 'revolutionising' the way we live. In this paper, we articulate why public engagement in debates about nanotechnology is important, drawing on literature on public engagement and science policy debate and deliberation about public policy development. We also explore the significance of timing in engaging the public, and we make some suggestions concerning how to effectively engage publics. Our conclusions indicate the significance of scientific researchers, policy makers and representative consumer groupings in public reasoning towards a better public policy framework for debate about technological development.
History
Publication title
Science and Engineering Ethics
Volume
15
Pagination
81-96
ISSN
1353-3452
Department/School
School of Humanities
Publisher
Springer
Place of publication
Dordrecht
Rights statement
Copyright 2008 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.