2016 Volume 12 Pages 179-189
The nuclear disaster in Fukushima and its ongoing repercussion remind us of the potential of STS as an intellectual enterprise with significant social consequences. This article discusses the field's unique possibilities in three interconnected domains: research, liberal arts education, and democracy. First I briefly touch on STS's unique key insights, which highlight the entanglement and co-production of science, technology, and society. Then I discuss how these insights can enrich research on historical developments behind the 2011 disaster; facilitate the cultivation of critical thinking - especially about the entwined relationships among science, technology, and society - in undergraduate education; and shed light on both rights and obligations of the public to participate in decision-making processes regarding science and technology (e. g., nuclear power) as citizens of a democratic society. I draw from my own research on nuclear governance in Japan and the United States and involvement with the undergraduate STS program in the U. S. Insights from STS suggest how thinking about energy issues also means thinking about the future of society. I argue that, ultimately, they prompt both experts and lay public to engage with deliberations on science and technology governance with reflexivity, openness to different knowledges, and commitment as active agents.
