Abstract
Emerging technologies can have profound conceptual implications. Their emergence frequently
calls for the articulation of new concepts, or for modifications and novel applications of concepts
that are already entrenched in communication and thought. In this paper, we introduce the notion
of “conceptual appropriation” to capture the dynamics between concepts and emerging technologies.
By conceptual appropriation, we mean the novel application of a value-laden concept to lay a
contestable claim on an underdetermined phenomenon. We illustrate the dynamics of conceptual
appropriation by analyzing the concept NATURE and its uptake in three discourses of emerging
technology: cellular agriculture, solar geo-engineering, and biomimicry. We argue that NATURE
and its cognate NATURALNESS are strongly valanced concepts upon which different stakeholders
lay a claim. In doing so, stakeholders advance distinct conceptions of nature, typically to suit their
own interests. Our case-studies illustrate how in discourses on emerging technology, the application
of value-concepts is entangled with ideological stakes and power dynamics.
calls for the articulation of new concepts, or for modifications and novel applications of concepts
that are already entrenched in communication and thought. In this paper, we introduce the notion
of “conceptual appropriation” to capture the dynamics between concepts and emerging technologies.
By conceptual appropriation, we mean the novel application of a value-laden concept to lay a
contestable claim on an underdetermined phenomenon. We illustrate the dynamics of conceptual
appropriation by analyzing the concept NATURE and its uptake in three discourses of emerging
technology: cellular agriculture, solar geo-engineering, and biomimicry. We argue that NATURE
and its cognate NATURALNESS are strongly valanced concepts upon which different stakeholders
lay a claim. In doing so, stakeholders advance distinct conceptions of nature, typically to suit their
own interests. Our case-studies illustrate how in discourses on emerging technology, the application
of value-concepts is entangled with ideological stakes and power dynamics.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 414-433 |
| Number of pages | 20 |
| Journal | Environmental Values |
| Volume | 33 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| Early online date | 8 Dec 2023 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Aug 2024 |
Funding
This work is part of the research programme Ethics of Socially Disruptive Technologies, which is funded through the Gravitation programme of the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture, and Science and the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research under Grant number 024.004.031.
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| Gravitation programme of the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture, and Science | |
| Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research | 024.004.031 |
Keywords
- Conceptual appropriation
- nature
- naturalness
- cellular agriculture
- solar climate engineering
- biomimicry
- emerging technology