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CHAPTERI.INNOVATIONSANDTECHNOLOGICALADVANCES…
4lScience,technology,innovations:contextsofcitizens’engagement
Sustainabilityisamulti-field,multi-activity,transborder,andcomplextaskthatrequires
continuousstreamsofinnovations:scientific,technological,economic,social,ecological,
culturalandsoforth.Discoveriesandinventionsareabasisofanewknowledgeand
innovations.Inotherwords-thisissciencewhichisamainsourceoftechnologicalpro-
gress,socialandeconomicreforms,andotherimprovements.Innovativeactivitydoesnot
dependsolelyonR&Dexpenditures,governmentpolicies,andbusinessstrategies(not
tomentionmarketdemandfornewsolutionsandnewtechnologies).Flowsofinnovations
arearesultofscience-societyrelations.Theserelationsarenotoriouslyunderchanging
boundaryconditions.Generally,itisexpectedthatinnovationsareafoundationforfuture
prosperity.Atatimeofeconomiccrisisasnowexperienced,innovativeactivityisper-
ceivedasameanstogetoutofthecrisis(seeReport:ScienceinSociety,2013).Onecan
explicitlyaddonemore“responsibility”ofscienceandtechnology:innovationsshouldbe
sustainability-oriented.
DiscoursearoundscienceandtechnologyintheEUredefinedtheprogrammelineofR
&DFrameworkProgramme7fromScienceandSocietytoScienceinSociety.Thistrans-
formationemphasizestheintegrationofbothtechno-scientificandsocietaldevelopment.
InnovationsarepraisedwithanewlabeloftheEUstrategy:“InnovationUnion2020”.
Onthenationalandsectoriallevelsinnovationcreationandapplicationstrategiesshould
becontextualized.Societyisinvolvedinitsvalues,attitudes,customs,fears,behaviours,
consciousness,andimagination.Allthisgives,ordoesnotgive,innovationaperformative
power,andalsoitsembeddedness.Moreandmoretechnologicalartefactsproducednot
onlychangeoursurroundings,whicharebecomingincreasinglyartificial.Thistransforms
societiesandmenthemselves.Thetechnologicalworldproduces,thankstooursocialand
individualexperiences,atechnologicalage(Williams,2014:466).Technologybecomes
overwhelming,pervasive,andinfluential.Itisusedinvirtuallyallhumanactivities,requir-
inganddeterminingmanypeople’sbehavioursandplayingadominantrolefortechno-
logicalcreativityandtechnology-drivengoals.Itisafundamental“redirectionofhuman
energiesanddesirestowardinquiryintoandmanipulationofthematerialworldforallsorts
ofutilitarianandnonutilitarianpurposes”(Williams,2014:466).Itisgoodforinnovative-
nesstohavesuchapositivegrounding.However,thebigdiferencesandgapsbetween
individualsandsocietiesshouldnotbeforgotten.Buttosomeextent,theinnovativeness
maybeimitatedandinduced,whilethepresentnetworkingmakesitpossibletotransfer
knowledge,technology,andskillsworldwide.
Inaperspectiveofsustainability,withitsgenerationalconcern,reflexivityisanimpor-
tantattitude.Sustainabilityis,infact,aboutthefutureandaboutthelong-termconse-
quencesofthepresentgeneration’sbehaviour(modesofproduction,consumption,life-
styles,etc.).Accordingtoevolutionistsonlymaturesocietieshavebeguntothinkabout
theconsequencesoftheirchoicesandtheirimpacts.Moreover,notallhumanactionsare
deliberated,planned,andrational.Purposiveactionsmaynotberationalaswell.Rational
behaviourmaybe,forexample,reactive,adaptive,proactive,andcreative.Ineachcase
adiferenttypeofinnovationisneededandwouldbeproper.Butinnovationsareeven
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