Popa Eugen Octav, Blok Vincent, Schubert Cornelius, Katsoukis Georgios
Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands.
Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
Soc Stud Sci. 2025 Feb;55(1):62-84. doi: 10.1177/03063127241271024. Epub 2024 Aug 12.
When a technology is seen as the right solution to a recognized problem, the development of alternative technologies comes under threat. To secure much-needed resources, proponents of alternative technologies must, in these conditions, restart societal discussion on the status quo, a process at once technological and discursive known as 'path creation'. In this article, we investigate discussion-restarting strategies employed by supporters of emerging technologies in the field of solar fuels, particularly the advocates of a technology referred to as 'artificial photosynthesis'. For illustrative purposes we explore four such strategies: revisiting weak spots, resizing the problem, redefining the game, and renegotiating labels. We conclude with a methodological reflection on the empirical study of discursive strategies in a socio-technical system. We further suggest a more systematic application of discourse-analytical and argumentation-theoretical insights that can complement current scholarship on path dependence and path creation.
当一项技术被视为解决公认问题的正确方案时，替代技术的发展就会受到威胁。在这种情况下，为了获取急需的资源，替代技术的支持者必须重启关于现状的社会讨论，这是一个兼具技术和话语性质的过程，称为“路径创造”。在本文中，我们研究太阳能燃料领域新兴技术支持者所采用的重启讨论的策略，特别是一种被称为“人工光合作用”技术的倡导者所采用的策略。为了说明问题，我们探讨了四种这样的策略：重新审视薄弱环节、调整问题规模、重新定义游戏规则以及重新协商标签。我们以对社会技术系统中话语策略实证研究的方法论反思作为结尾。我们还进一步建议更系统地应用话语分析和论证理论的见解，以补充当前关于路径依赖和路径创造的学术研究。
