Slowly, reluctantly, with almost audible screeches of resistance, the political machinery of the industrial world is gearing up to address the energy crises of the new millennium. The challenge is to bring fuel—that ancient, low-tech, yet most civilizing of human inventions—within the reach of high-tech projects that seek to mitigate the threat of climate change while meeting the demand for global economic growth and development. In place of the dirty, extractive, nonrenewable, fossil fuel systems that currently power much of the world, the energy scenarios of the future are homing in on alternatives that promise to be clean, efficient, and superabundant. Energy transitions of such proportions do not simply involve swapping one resource for another: clean atoms for polluting coal or renewable wind for exhaustible oil. New energy futures will need to reconfigure the physical deep structures of civilization—grids and pipelines, seashores and pastoral landscapes, and suburbs and cities—that were shaped by the energy choices of the past. Equally, we argue here, radical changes in the fuel supply are likely to transform social infrastructures, changing established patterns of life and work and allocating benefits and burdens differently from before. Accordingly analysts should pay greater attention to the social dimensions of energy transitions, complementing more conventional analyses of economic and engineering issues. How will policy-makers meet this challenge? We believe that an exploration of the “sociotechnical imaginaries” that guided energy policies in the past provide some answers, by shedding light on the hidden social dimensions of energy Science as Culture, 2013 Vol. 22, No. 2, 189–196, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09505431.2013.786990

Sheila Jasanoff

Sang-Hyun Kim

Science as Culture

Our culture is a scientific one, defining what is natural and what is rational. Its values can be seen in what are sought out as facts and made as artefacts, what are designed as processes and products, and what are forged as weapons and filmed as wonders. In our daily experience, power is exercised through expertise, e.g. in science, technology and medicine. Science as Culture explores how all these shape the values which contend for influence over the wider society.    Science mediates our cultural experience. It increasingly defines what it is to be a person, through genetics, medicine and information technology. Its values get embodied and naturalized in concepts, techniques, research priorities, gadgets and advertising. Many films, artworks and novels express popular concerns about these developments.    In a society where icons of progress are drawn from science, technology and medicine, they are either celebrated or demonised. Often their progress is feared as ’unnatural’, while their critics are labelled ’irrational’. Public concerns are rebuffed by ostensibly value-neutral experts and positivist polemics.    Yet the culture of science is open to study like any other culture. Cultural studies analyses the role of expertise throughout society. Many journals address the history, philosophy and social studies of science, its popularisation, and the public understanding of society.

Science as Culture explores how science shapes our cultural values. It defines what is considered natural and rational, influencing our understanding of facts and artifacts, as well as the processes and products we design. Expertise in fields such as science, technology, and medicine exercises power in our daily lives. Science mediates our cultural experience, increasingly defining what it means to be human, particularly through genetics, medicine, and information technology. These values are embodied in concepts, techniques, research priorities, gadgets, and advertising. Many films, artworks, and novels express public concerns about these developments. In a society where icons of progress are drawn from science, technology, and medicine, they are often either celebrated or demonized. Fears about scientific progress are labeled as 'unnatural,' while critics are branded as 'irrational.' Public concerns are frequently dismissed by ostensibly value-neutral experts and positivist rhetoric. Yet, the culture of science is as open to study as any other culture. Cultural studies analyze the role of expertise throughout society, and many journals address the history, philosophy, and social studies of science, its popularization, and public understanding.

《Science as Culture》探讨了科学如何塑造我们的文化价值观。科学不仅定义了什么是自然和理性的，还影响了我们对事实和物品的理解，以及我们设计的过程和产品。科学、技术和医学等领域的专业知识在日常生活中行使着权力。科学作为文化的媒介，逐渐定义了人类的身份，尤其是在遗传学、医学和信息技术的影响下。这些价值观体现在概念、技术、研究优先级、设备和广告中。许多电影、艺术作品和小说反映了公众对这些发展的关注。在一个以科学、技术和医学为进步象征的社会中，这些进步常常被赞美或妖魔化。人们对科学进步的恐惧被视为“非自然”，而批评者则被贴上“非理性”的标签。公众的担忧常常被表面上中立的专家和实证主义的论调所驳斥。然而，科学文化同其他文化一样，都是可以研究的对象。文化研究分析了专业知识在整个社会中的作用，许多期刊关注科学的历史、哲学和社会研究，以及科学的普及和公众理解。

Category	Quartile
哲学	3
哲学, 文化研究	3
哲学, 科学史与科学哲学	3

Sociotechnical Imaginaries and National Energy Policies

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Category	Quartile
HISTORY & PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE	1