Max Weber revisited

The value relation(s) of technology assessment

Authors

  • Leonhard Hennen " Institute for Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis (ITAS) , Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)" (DE)

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14512/tatup.28.1.27

Keywords:

politics of TA, Max Weber, Werturteilsfreiheit

Abstract

In the current debate on the normative foundations of technology assessment (TA), demands for TA to explicitly take a political stance in technology policy making coexist with positions holding on to TA’s traditional role as a distanced observer of policy making. The present paper tries to clarify TA’s role by revisiting Max Weber’s critical comments in the so-called “Werturteilsstreit” (Value Judgment Dispute) at the beginning of the 20th century. It is argued that, contrary to what is often stated, for Max Weber scientific analysis refraining from value judgments and engaged scientific intervention are consistent with each other. Scientific analysis, for Weber, is impossible to conceive of without explicit reference to societal values. TA accordingly can (and should) be clear about its own value relations (Wertbeziehungen), and hold on to them in political debate, without necessarily abandoning its ambition of proper and distanced scientific analysis.

References

Bauer, Anja; Kastenhofer, Karen (2019): Policy advice in technology assessment. Shifting roles, principles and boundaries. In: Technological Forecasting and Social Change 139, S. 32–41. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2018.06.023

Delvenne, Pierre; Parotte, Celine (2019): Breaking the myth of neutrality. Technology assessment has politics, technology assessment as politics. In: Technological Forecasting and Social Change 139, S. 64–72. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2018.06.026

Grunwald, Armin (2018): Versteckte Normativitäten in der Technikfolgenabschätzung? Vortrag bei der Konferenz TA18 „Technikfolgenabschätzung und Normativität. An welchen Werten orientiert sich TA?“, Wien, 11. Juni 2018.

Hennen, Leonhard; Nierling, Linda (2019): The politics of TA. Introduction to the special issue of technological forecasting and social change. In: Technological Forecasting and Social Change 139, S. 17–22. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2018.07.048

Pielke Jr., Roger (2007): The honest broker. Making sense of science in policy and politics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511818110

Torgersen, Helge (2019): Three myths of neutrality in TA. How different forms of TA imply different understandings of neutrality, In: Technological Forecasting and Social Change 139, S. 57–63. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2018.06.025

Weber, Max (1904): Die „Objektivität“ sozialwissenschaftlicher und sozialpolitischer Erkenntnis. In: Ders. (1988): Gesammelte Aufsätze zur Wissenschaftslehre. Tübingen: J. C. B. Mohr, S. 146–214.

Weber, Max (1917): Der Sinn der „Wertfreiheit“ der soziologischen und ökonomischen Wissenschaften. In: Ders. (1988): Gesammelte Aufsätze zur Wissenschaftslehre. Tübingen: J. C. B. Mohr, S. 489–540.

Weber, Max (1919): Wissenschaft als Beruf. In: Ders. (1988): Gesammelte Aufsätze zur Wissenschaftslehre. Tübingen: J. C. B. Mohr. S. 582–613.

Weber, Max (1988): Gesammelte Aufsätze zur Wissenschaftslehre. Tübingen: J. C. B. Mohr.

Published

03.04.2019

How to Cite

1.
Hennen L. Max Weber revisited: The value relation(s) of technology assessment. TATuP [Internet]. 2019 Apr. 3 [cited 2024 Mar. 28];28(1):27-32. Available from: https://www.tatup.de/index.php/tatup/article/view/194

Most read articles by the same author(s)