Article (Scientific journals)
Participation Beyond Consensus? Technology Assessments, Consensus Conferences and Democratic Modulation
Van Bouwel, Jeroen; Van Oudheusden, Michiel
2017In Social Epistemology
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Keywords :
agonism; consensus; models of democracy; participation; science and technology
Abstract :
[en] In this article, we inquire into two contemporary participatory formats that seek to democratically intervene in scientific practice: the consensus conference and participatory technology assessment (pTA). We explain how these formats delegitimize conflict and disagreement by making a strong appeal to consensus. Based on our direct involvement in these formats and informed both by political philosophy and science and technology studies, we outline conceptions that contrast with the consensus ideal, including dissensus, disclosure, conflictual consensus and agonistic democracy. Drawing on the notion of meta-consensus and a distinction between four models of democracy (aggregative, deliberative, participatory and agonistic), we elaborate how a more positive valuation of conflict provides opportunities for mutual learning, the articulation of disagreement, and democratic modulation—three aspirations that are at the heart of most pTAs and consensus conferences. Disclosing the strengths and weaknesses of these different models is politically and epistemically useful, and should therefore be an integral part of the development of participation theory and process in science and technology.
Disciplines :
Sociology & social sciences
Author, co-author :
Van Bouwel, Jeroen;  Universiteit Gent - Ugent
Van Oudheusden, Michiel ;  Université de Liège > Département de science politique > Anal. et éval. des politiques publ.-Méthod. de sc. politique
Language :
English
Title :
Participation Beyond Consensus? Technology Assessments, Consensus Conferences and Democratic Modulation
Publication date :
2017
Journal title :
Social Epistemology
ISSN :
0269-1728
eISSN :
1464-5297
Publisher :
Routledge
Peer reviewed :
Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi
Available on ORBi :
since 02 August 2017

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