Renewable energy
Description
At first glance, there is a tension between sustainable energy provision and democratic values:
Democracies are mainly concerned with short-term prosperity and well-being ('wellbeing') of their own citizens. Therefore, they have too little regard for the "Big Picture", the ecological grand challenges of our time, and also too little regard for other continents. Autocracies, such as China, in which local resistance from citizens has no chance, can act much more decisively, and are therefore held up as role models by some.
A careful analysis of the concept of sustainability, however, shows that there is no tension between sustainability and democracy. It only appears as a conflict for two reasons: We do not realise sharply enough what sustainability actually means; and we have too narrow an understanding of wellbeing.
Sen's capability approach can go a long way here
Speaker(s)
Rafaela Hillerbrand is professor of philosophy of technology and science at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology and research associate at TU Delft. She holds a PhD in both theoretical physics and philosophy. Since her Postdoc period at the University of Oxford, she has been conducting research at the interface of epistemology and ethics. Focuses of her work include dealing with risk and uncertainty, the use of computer simulations in the sciences and energy consumption and care. Following the Fukushima accidents in 2011, she and six other scientists advised the German Federal Government on the interpretation/design of the Energiewende. She lives in The Hague.
Location
Vredenburg 19, 3511 BB Utrecht
Organiser
Philosophy & Technology
Name and contact details for information
Further information from drs.ing. Henk Uijttenhout (vz), tel: 070 - 3875293 / 06 - 19844087 or via the e-mail address below.