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Thinking after Fukushima. Epistemic shift in social sciences

“….The presuppositions and limitations of its three components, a theory of risk, a conception of trust and the idea of “knowledge
society” are now exposed to public scrutiny. The apparent rationality, efficiency and legitimacy of this complex failed to anticipate, prevent and respond to this disaster. Its real
function was to dissimulate the power structure behind. To analyze these networks of mutual interests and supports is an exercise in democracy…”

Alain-Marc Rieu

Abstract

The Fukushima catastrophe is a turning point in the conception, role and management of technology in industrial societies. As did Hiroshima (on another dimension) after 1945, the Fukushima nuclear accident questions and transforms established conceptions and values concerning the relations between technology, politics, industry, society and the environment. It has become impossible to think after Fukushima as we did before. This catastrophe initiates a major epistemic and conceptual shift with long-term consequences. This paper focuses on a powerful conceptual complex associating the notions of risk, trust and knowledge society. This complex associates discourses, theories and policies. The objective is to criticize this conceptual complex in order to explore how to rethink, after Fukushima, the relations between technology, politics, industry and society.

Revised version of a paper originally prepared for the Asia-Europe Forum on Methods and Perspectives of Risk Analysis, Hong Kong Advanced Institute for Cross-Disciplinary Studies at City University of Hong Kong, co-organized by the Institute of East Asian Studies (IN-EAST) of the University of Duisburg-Essen/Germany, in Hong Kong, 17–18 November 2011
Snapshot of Paper
 
https://i0.wp.com/link.springer.com/static-content/0.6187/lookinside/344/art%253A10.1007%252Fs10308-013-0344-8/000.png
 

February 23, 2013 - Posted by | Uncategorized

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