We all live on the same planet and are part of the same biosphere. We have come to recognize that we are in a situation of increasing interdependence, and that our future is intrinsically linked to the preservation of the global life-support systems and to the survival of all forms of life. The nations and the scientists of the world are called upon to acknowledge the urgency of using knowledge from all fields of science in a responsible manner to address human needs and aspirations without misusing this knowledge ...
How many of us remember the Budapest Declaration of 1999, and its call for "science in society" and "science for society"? And can we say this call was heeded? Innovation Beyond Technology is a collection of papers resulting from a France-Japan collaboration that reminds us of the significance of the Declaration, and the gap in what has commonly come to be understood as "innovation." The collaboration took the form of conferences organized by the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) and École des Hautes Études in Science Sociales (EHESS). Both countries have much to contribute to thinking about and rethinking-innovation, as the 14 chapters, expertly assembled by Sébastien Lechevalier, show.
The introduction, by Lechevalier and Sandra Laugier, summarizes key themes, and their challenge to uncritical thinking about innovation. One theme is that "inno-vation" has many meanings, and that its usage has changed over time. As Sayaka Oki argues, it has gone from a term of mild disapproval or even approbation to something necessary for the progress of society and the economy. Indeed, she suggests, innovation has replaced the notion of "progress," which began to be weighted down with too much critical baggage. But innovation is not the same as progress
