Dependability as ordinary action

Abstract

This paper presents an ethnomethodologically informed study of the ways that more-or-less dependable systems are part of the everyday lifeworld of society members. Through case study material we explicate howd ependability is a practical achievement and howit is constituted as a common sense notion. We show how attending to the logical grammar of dependability can clarify some issues and potential conceptual confusions around the term that occur between lay and ‘professional’ uses. The paper ends with a call to consider dependability in its everyday ordinary language context as well as more ‘professional’ uses of this term.