Abstract
The dominant model for analyzing the relationship between energy and social change, the “technology assessment” model, is criticized for being technologically deterministic, over-ambitious and insensitive to the political and social context of technology development. Three “lessons from history” are offered:
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(1)
A multiplicity of disciplines, world views and explanatory factors are required to fully understand the relationship between technology and social change.
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(2)
The lack of historical understanding and explicative theory in this field call for modesty in attempts to quantify and predict social impacts.
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(3)
More emphasis should be placed on developing an understanding of the process by which technology is developed and diffused through society.
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Frankel, E. Energy and social change: An historian's perspective. Policy Sci 14, 59–73 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00137507
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00137507