Carroll J D
Science. 1971 Feb 19;171(3972):647-53. doi: 10.1126/science.171.3972.647.
The hunger to participate that exists today in various segments of the American public is in part a response to what some people perceive as an unresponsiveness of institutions and processes to the felt needs of the individual and of society. It is also, in part, an expression of a desire for a redistribution of power in American public life. Technology is one of the major determinants of the nature of public as well as private life in contemporary society. Participatory technology is an attempt on the part of diverse individuals and groups to influence technological processes through participation in existing or new public processes by which technology is or can be developed , controlled, and implemented. Like other processes of direct citizen participation in governmental decision making, it raises many questions about the adequacy of existing theories and practices of representative government. These questions cannot be answered on an a priori basis. Members of the educational, scientific, technical, and governmental communities should analyze these questions in an effort to develop answers that are appropriate to the particular situations for which they are responsible and with which they are concerned.
如今美国公众各阶层中存在的参与热情，部分是对一些人所认为的机构和程序未能回应个人及社会实际需求的一种反应。部分也是对美国公共生活中权力重新分配的渴望的一种表达。技术是当代社会公共生活和私人生活本质的主要决定因素之一。参与性技术是不同个人和群体试图通过参与现有或新的公共程序来影响技术过程，而通过这些程序技术得以或能够被开发、控制和实施。与公民直接参与政府决策的其他过程一样，它引发了许多关于代议制政府现有理论和实践是否充分的问题。这些问题无法先验地得到解答。教育界、科学界、技术界和政府界的成员应该分析这些问题，努力得出适合他们所负责和关注的特定情况的答案。
