Social Robustness and the Mode 2 Diagnosis

Abstract

The Hansen and Kurath articles in the December 2009 issue have public engagement as their topic, and mobilize the notion of ‘social robustness’ as discussed by Helga Nowotny, one of the Mode 2 authors (see Nowotny et al. 2001). Janus Hansen used it as a link with public engagement and offered a plea for comparative studies which he located in a conceptual critique of the Mode 2 thesis. Monika Kurath decided to use her version of the notion of ‘social robustness’ to evaluate attempts at regulation of, and engagement with, nanosciences and nanotechnologies, conjuring up ratings for each of the cases she described.