Abstract
Synthetic biology is an emerging scientific field where engineers and biologists design and build biological systems for various applications. Developing synthetic biology responsibly in the public interest necessitates a meaningful societal dialogue. In this article, we argue that facilitating such a dialogue requires an understanding of how people make sense of synthetic biology. We performed qualitative research to unravel the underlying dynamics of problem setting and framing in citizen discussions on synthetic biology. We found that most people are not inherently for or against synthetic biology as a technology or development in itself, but that their perspectives are framed by core values about our relationships with science and technology and that sensemaking is much dependent on the context and general feelings of (dis)content. Given that there are many assumptions focused on a more binary idea of the public’s view, we emphasize the need for frame awareness and understanding in a meaningful dialogue.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 294-309 |
| Number of pages | 16 |
| Journal | Public Understanding of Science |
| Volume | 27 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| Early online date | 9 Jun 2017 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Apr 2018 |
Funding
The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This work was carried out within the BE-Basic R&D Program, which was granted a FES subsidy from the Dutch Ministry of Economic affairs, agriculture and innovation (EL&I), and was also supported by the Centre for Society and the Life Sciences (CSG).
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| Centre for Society | |
| Ministerie van Economische Zaken, Landbouw en Innovatie |
Keywords
- complex problems
- focus group methodology
- framing
- problem setting
- public engagement
- responsible research and innovation
- synthetic biology
