#Responsibility and Science

A man, his history and his DNA

by Margherita Fronte One of humankind’s oldest needs – to know oneself. One of the most modern technologies – the DNA testing of a single individual. These are the 2 ingredients of the book entitled Go Ask Your Father: One Man’s Obsession with Finding His Origins Through DNA Testing (Bantam Books, 2009), written by Lennard ... A man, his history and his DNA

Different forms of expertise

On Monday 3rd of May a seminar was held in The Bassetti Foundation conference suite with Dr Wiebe E. Bijker, Professor of Technology and Society at The University of Maastricht in Holland. An interview conducted by Margherita Fronte has already been published in Italian (Il ruolo degli esperti nella democrazia) and we now make the ... Different forms of expertise

A short review: Conversations On Innovation, Power And Responsibility

Last week we put online a new publication of the Foundation Bassetti entitled “Conversations On Innovation, Power And Responsibility”, written by Jeff Ubois and available in hard copy, downloadable pdf or Issuu (on line) versions. The publication is a resume’ of conversations conducted between Mr Ubois and 12 internationally renowned innovators and thinkers and features ... A short review: Conversations On Innovation, Power And Responsibility

Drugs for People, not for Profit.

On Saturday 29th September 2009 an article appeared in the Guardian one of the UK’s wider read broadsheets entitled ‘Soaring Drugs Bill Threatens to Bankrupt NHS’. The article refers to a report published on the same day by left leaning think-tank Compass, an organization that describes itself as ‘Direction for the Democratic Left’. It reports ... Drugs for People, not for Profit.

Regulating nanotechnology through private actors?

by Brice Laurent While some public officials claim that the potential risks of nanotechnology will be managed as early as possible, numerous questions are raised about the relevance of existing regulation for the many different nano-products. The standards and codes that are being experimented are, at this time, mostly voluntary and emerge from a range ... Regulating nanotechnology through private actors?

The Politics of Science and the re-definition of democracy (part 2)

(Mariachiara Tallacchini offers here an introduction to Jasanoff’s STS approach – …continues from the previous entry). … In her more recent and complex work, published in the United States in 1995 with the title Design on nature the author turns her gaze upon the politics that have accompanied and distinguished the history of bio-technology, thus ... The Politics of Science and the re-definition of democracy (part 2)

Mariachiara Tallacchini

Governance and participation in nanotechnology

A look at Wikipedia gives a thorough if not quite technical description of what nanotechnology is or could be defined as. The description opens with “Nanotechnology is a highly multidisciplinary field, drawing from fields such as applied physics, materials science, interface and colloid science, device physics, supramolecular chemistry (which refers to the area of chemistry ... Governance and participation in nanotechnology

Science and Governance: the provocation of responsibility.

Conversation with Mariachiara Tallacchini On the Science in Society website of the European Commision one reads that “The European Commission needs to create the conditions for a structured dialogue on questions relative to science, with a view to anticipating and clarifying the hopes and fears of the public. Faced with an informed and involved public, ... Science and Governance: the provocation of responsibility.

Science and Governance: the EU report on Science and Governance presented at FGB

The Giannino Bassetti Foundation deals with the problem of innovation and specifically with the responsibility that should guide innovative processes. Piero Bassetti defined innovation as the realisation of the improbable. “Improbable” refers to uncertainty, doubt and risk, things that are beyond our control and therefore require that we think twice about our responsibility. The sociologist ... Science and Governance: the EU report on Science and Governance presented at FGB