Enacting anticipatory heuristics: a tentative methodological proposal for steering responsible innovation

Abstract

Over the past decade, various normative frameworks that aim to promote more responsible governance of research and innovation in terms of better aligning with society's demands and expectations have emerged. Among the common aspects of these normative frameworks and proposals is the reliance on foresight and/or anticipation as a key interventive dimension or instrument. The article reviews the main challenges to which anticipation has been explicitly or implicitly directed and the respective methodological approaches that have been associated with them. In doing so, the article diagnoses a fragmentation in the methodological treatment of the different challenges. Against this fragmentation, a multi-foresight methodology is proposed. The proposed methodology not only addresses the fragmentation problem by embracing the different challenges posed to foresight/anticipation for promoting more socio-politically responsible technoscientific and innovation practices, but also aims to minimise the uncritical reification of futures.