题 目：Technology Assessment & the Unanticipated Consequences of Technological Innovation
主讲人：Harry Rothman (曼彻斯特大学商学院荣誉教授、诺丁汉大学商学院教授)
时 间：2013年9月5日(星期四) 上午9:00-11:00
地 点：主楼418会议室
主讲人简介：
    Harry Rothman教授是英国曼彻斯特大学商学院荣誉教授，诺丁汉大学商学院教授，国际期刊Technology Analysis and Strategic Management（SSCI检索）和New Genetics & Society（SCI检索）的创始编辑，现任Technology Analysis and Strategic Management（SSCI检索）主编和New Genetics & Society（SCI检索）荣誉主编。2005年获聘社科院院士，同时也是英国皇家艺术学会成员、应用神经科学学会会员、世界未来协会专业学会成员。Harry Rothman教授长期致力于科学和技术政策领域的教学和研究工作，总计出版9本专著和100余篇学术文章和报告，主要研究方向为技术评估、科学计量学、生物技术的社会政策和发展问题等。目前的研究兴趣主要包括在增强精神方面小说神经生物学技术和人类的潜能的发展。
内容简介：
    Our innovations, especially in technology, have often had consequences beyond those intended, when the solutions to problems have led to new unexpected problems. Philosophers and social scientists have speculated about the unintended consequences of action since the days of the ancient Greeks. Why do we so often fail to foresee consequences? Are there ways in which we could improve our foresight and better avoid unanticipated consequences? So deep and profound are the impacts of the productive activities of modern man since the Neolithic revolution, some 10-12000 years ago, that geologists have recently renamed our epoch the Anthropocene in recognition of human society’s impact on Earth. The impact has been largely negative, as witnessed by our destruction of biodiversity – an acceleration of background species extinction by 100 to 1000 fold, and global warming. Unfortunately as our productive forces and population have grown the destructive and unwanted consequences have intensified, thus posing technologists, amongst others, with an immense responsibility for their actions. I will argue the very concept of “unanticipated consequences” is contentious in so far as it might be seen to absolve actors of responsibility, and deeply pessimistic since it implies there might be nothing we can do to prevent such consequences.