Science, Technology, and Society (STS) Glossary

A framework treating human and non-human entities equally as participants in networks that produce knowledge and technological systems.

Rhetorical and institutional strategies used to demarcate science from non-science and defend scientific authority.

The practice of involving non-professional scientists in research activities such as data collection, observation, and analysis.

The simultaneous and mutually reinforcing creation of scientific knowledge and social order.

The assumption that public opposition to science results from insufficient scientific knowledge and can be fixed by providing more information.

Fairness in how people are treated as knowers, addressing wrongs such as being systematically disbelieved or lacking conceptual resources.

The idea that a technology or scientific claim can be understood differently by different social groups.

The traditional but oversimplified view that innovation proceeds in a straight line from basic science to applied research to commercial products.

In Kuhn's framework, the routine puzzle-solving research conducted within an established paradigm.

A shared set of assumptions, methods, and exemplary achievements that define a scientific community's approach to research.

A fundamental change in the basic assumptions and practices of a scientific discipline, replacing one paradigm with another.

A policy principle that advocates taking preventive action against potential serious harm even when scientific certainty is lacking.

Inclusive practices that involve citizens in discussions and decisions about science and technology policy.

In SCOT, the groups of people who share a particular interpretation of a technology and influence its design and adoption.

A governance approach integrating ethical, social, and environmental reflection into the research and innovation process from the start.

Ulrich Beck's theory that modern societies are defined by the management of risks generated by their own industrial and technological systems.

The practice of informing and engaging the public about scientific topics, research findings, and their implications.

Donna Haraway's concept that all knowledge is produced from particular social positions and embodied perspectives.

A framework arguing that technology is shaped by social groups' interests and interpretations rather than following a single inevitable path.

Collectively held visions of desirable futures achievable through science and technology that shape policy and investment.

A system in which technological artifacts and social structures are deeply intertwined and mutually dependent.

The Edinburgh School approach insisting that both true and false scientific beliefs be explained by the same types of social causes.

The view that technology autonomously drives social change with little role for human agency or cultural context.

Thomas Hughes's concept that large technological systems accumulate increasing inertia over time, becoming harder to redirect or replace.

The systematic evaluation of the potential effects and implications of a technology to inform policy decisions.