1. Introduction
Owing to the increasing pace of technological innovation, every generation is more aware than its predecessors that the world they leave behind will be different from the one they took over. Technology radically changes the human condition, and it does so in ways that we cannot foresee. Can we gain more control and foresight in this process?
Two major attempts have been made to deal systematically with the uncertainties that technology gives rise to, namely risk analysis and technology assessment. They both arose in the 1970s in response to public concern with negative aspects of new and emerging technologies.
Risk analysis and technology assessment are two perspectives on the same basic problem, namely our lack of knowledge about the effects of technology. They are usually dealt with by different groups of experts, and one seldom sees them treated in one and the same context. In this section, they will be juxtaposed and combined in a series of chapters that reflect the wide range of ongoing philosophical discussions about the uncertainties associated with current and future technologies.
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