The charge of technology

摘要

The steam engine changed the world. So too did electricity and the internal combustion engine, atomic power, and the Internet. Such stories are told with a hopeful eye to the future. They tell us that the next great revolution will be caused by technologies X, Y or Z, and that as nations we need to promote them. Such histories are given as evidence to support rational policies for national innovation today, bolstered by the assumption that national policies matter and that there is a clear link between national innovation and national success. We need, however, a much more critical understanding of this evidence base for science, technology and innovation policy. That presents a formidable challenge. For all their seeming robustness, terms such as 'science', 'technology' and 'innovation change meaning without warning. They come loaded with assumptions about their relation to society and the economy that don't hold under scrutiny.