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Collingridge's dilemma and the early ethical assessment of emerging technology: The case of nanotechnology enabled biosensors

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  • Buckley, Jenifer A.
  • Thompson, Paul B.
  • Whyte, Kyle Powys

Abstract

Early ethics assessment of technological innovations promises to produce greater sensitivity to the potential for unfair impacts and problems of consent and distrust, yet faces a key challenge: ethical issues are hard to consider in advance. For technology, Collingridge (1980) describes a dilemma in which design inevitably comes before ethical assessment since the design influences heavily how the technology will interact with society. In this paper, we review an approach we undertook to early ethical assessment of nanobiosensors adapted for traceability systems to enhance food safety and animal and plant health monitoring. The approach is based on “expert committee” methods for integrating information from a range of disciplinary perspectives. It attempts to address the dilemma of early assessment through an integrative workshop discussion of how nanobiosensors should be represented during public engagement. Following the workshop, we conducted a metanalysis of the discussion transcript. The metanalysis shows that while the workshop approach responds to preliminary needs for the development of ethical assessment tools and processes, it also highlights inescapable challenges of ethical analysis. We identify key challenges and discuss their theoretical implications and implications for participatory assessment. We consider workshop discussion itself, and we consider the workshop as modeling one part of a cumulative process of assessment.

Suggested Citation

  • Buckley, Jenifer A. & Thompson, Paul B. & Whyte, Kyle Powys, 2017. "Collingridge's dilemma and the early ethical assessment of emerging technology: The case of nanotechnology enabled biosensors," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 54-63.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:teinso:v:48:y:2017:i:c:p:54-63
    DOI: 10.1016/j.techsoc.2016.12.003
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Thompson, Paul B., 2015. "From Field to Fork: Food Ethics for Everyone," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780199391691.
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    Cited by:

    1. Ahn, Sang-Jin & Yoon, Ho Young & Lee, Young-Joo, 2021. "Text mining as a tool for real-time technology assessment: Application to the cross-national comparative study on artificial organ technology," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 66(C).
    2. Raza, Syed Arshad, 2021. "Managing ethical requirements elicitation of complex socio-technical systems with critical systems thinking: A case of course-timetabling project," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 66(C).
    3. Elisabeth Eppinger, 2021. "How Open Innovation Practices Deliver Societal Benefits," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-19, January.
    4. Frederiksen, Marianne Harbo & Wolf, Patricia & Klotz, Ute, 2024. "Citizen visions of drone uses and impacts in 2057: Far-future insights for policy decision-makers," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 204(C).
    5. Carlo Giacomo Leo & Maria Rosaria Tumolo & Saverio Sabina & Riccardo Colella & Virginia Recchia & Giuseppe Ponzini & Dimitrios Ioannis Fotiadis & Antonella Bodini & Pierpaolo Mincarone, 2022. "Health Technology Assessment for In Silico Medicine: Social, Ethical and Legal Aspects," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(3), pages 1-13, January.
    6. Undheim, Trond Arne, 2024. "In search of better methods for the longitudinal assessment of tech-derived X-risks: How five leading scenario planning efforts can help," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 77(C).

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