10월 17일(수) 과학기술정책대학원 콜로퀴움이 개최됩니다.   
많은 관심 부탁드리며 홍보용 포스터를 첨부하오니 확인 바랍니다.  
*문의 : 박진영 (042-350-4843) / xiah1004@kaist.ac.kr / http://stp.kaist.ac.kr 

KAIST STP cordially invites you to the following seminar.       
If you need further information, just feel free to contact me (JinYeong Park: 042-350-4843).   

* Speaker : Axel Gelfert / Dept. of Philosophy, National Univ. of Singapore, Assistant Professor
* Topic : Geoengineering and the epistemology of uncertainty  
* Venue : N4 Building / STP Seminar Room 1316  
* Date : October 17, 2012 (Wed.) 5:30 PM 

Predictions about the future course of global challenges – in particular, those arising from global climate change technology – in particular, concerning the emergence of new technologies – are as fraught with empirical difficulties as they are irresistible. When what is at issue are radically new – imaginary or projected – trajectories of technological development, the empirical basis for predictions is necessarily slim, as the very idea of a ‘track record’ from which to extrapolate into the future does not seem to be applicable. In the absence of a track record of sufficiently similar cases, scenarios of possible technological futures often rely on alternative sources of legitimacy. Two resources have been shown to be of preeminent importance in this context: first, the testimony of scientific experts who, it is assumed, are best placed to make informed predictions on the basis of known evidence and their understanding of existing trends; second, the full range of – highly distributed, yet widely shared – narratives that together constitute the social, political and cultural imaginary of a society. In a number of contemporary – these two resources can come into conflict. A case in point is the ongoing debate about geoengineering, which pits untested and partly speculative technological fixes against the perceived need to actively manage the planetary geochemical cycles. In the proposed paper, this conflict is analysed through the lens of ongoing discourses about uncertainty in general, and from the perspective of the epistemology of expertise in particular.

Refreshments will be served and please check the attached file (Colloquium Poster).