The War That Must Not Occur

"The danger of a major nuclear catastrophe today is greater than it was during the Cold War, yet most people are blissfully unaware of this... Once a major catastrophe appears to be possible, one must assume that it will in fact occur."

"The mere possession of nuclear weapons is a moral abomination."

The War That Must Not Occur, Jean-Pierre Dupuy, Translated by Malcolm DeBevoise, 2024 >>
https://www.sup.org/books/theory-and-philosophy/war-must-not-occur
#NuclearCatastrophe #war #NuclearWeapons #TPNW #NPT #TechnologyAssessment #civilisation #destruction #books

The War That Must Not Occur | Stanford University Press

The possibility of a nuclear war that could destroy civilization has influenced the course of international affairs since 1945, suspended like a sword of Damocles above the heads of the world's leaders. The fact that we have escaped a third world war involving strategic nuclear weapons—indeed, that no atomic weapon of limited power has yet been used under battlefield conditions—seems nothing short of a miracle.

Stanford University Press

Does the TA community need to reflect on its role in assessing the impacts and repercussions of weapons technology?

The guest editors of the current special topic on future warfare, argue that TA cannot stand aside and ignore the challenges posed by rapid change in international relations.

Article "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly":
➡️ https://doi.org/10.14512/tatup.7305

Full issue "TA and future warfare":
➡️https://www.tatup.de/index.php/tatup/issue/view/186

#technologyassessment #warfare #dualuse @KIT_Karlsruhe

Military force or the threat thereof is increasingly shaping international relations – and technology plays a key role in this. The current TATuP Special topic examines how TA can address this development.

Read the full issue 35/1 (2026) "Technology assessment and future warfare":
➡️ https://www.tatup.de/index.php/tatup/issue/view/186

Many thanks 🙏 to our special topic editors & to all the authors!

#technologyassessment #warfare, #dualuse @ITAS @KIT_Karlsruhe

How is generative AI reshaping parliamentary TA?
The second part of our series shares insights from TAB’s experiments – from AI‑supported trend analysis to chatbot‑based feedback.
👉 Read here: https://www.tab-beim-bundestag.de/english/generative-ai-and-parliamentary-ta-between-potential-practice-and-reflection.php

We welcome input and perspectives for the upcoming parts of the series.

#TechnologyAssessment #AI #PolicyAdvice #EPTA

Watch the Enshittificator

"Digital products and services keep getting worse. In the new report Breaking Free: Pathways to a fair technological future, the Norwegian Consumer Council has delved into enshittification and how to resist it. The report shows how this phenomenon affects both consumers and society at large, but that it is possible to turn the tide." >>
https://vimeo.com/1168468796
#Enshittification #PlatformDecay #crapification #platforms #degradation #BigTech #BusinessModel #SocialMedia #services #accountability #laws #transparency #TechnologyAssessment #TA #internet

The Ensh*ttificator

Vimeo

How do policymakers, scientists, and the public engage with technology assessments and how do they use them?

In the latest globalTA webinar Sarah Harvey and Karen L. Howard, Directors of Science and Technology Assessment at the US Government Accountability Office, presented approaches to assess the impact of their work and how these insights inhelp to better meet policymakers’ needs.

Webinar video:
▶ 🎥 https://youtu.be/co6YTmAOy-M?si=WBb9c6NEPzPRyJxr

#globalTA #TechnologyAssessment #TACommunity

The function of technology assessment is not to measure but to warn. We cannot predict quantitatively the value or the cost of a new technology. What we can do is to look ahead and identify snags and traps. With luck, we may see the traps far enough ahead so that we can avoid walking in to them.
-- Freeman J. Dyson

#Wisdom #Quotes #FreemanJDyson #TechnologyAssessment

#Photography #Panorama #Panopainting #Driftwood #Florida

How does digitalization influence science and society on the path toward more sustainable futures? This question lies at the heart of the Interdisciplinary International Graduate Summer School.

Great possibility to deep-dive into this and a lot more questions by our #DiTraRe project partner Institut für Technikfolgenabschätzung und Systemanalyse @ITAS 👏

https://www.itas.kit.edu/veranstaltungen_2026_summerschool.php

#digitalisation #AI #summerschool @KIT_Karlsruhe @fiz_karlsruhe @AnnaJacyszyn @Feelix #science #technologyassessment

globalTA Webinar on "Science Sparring – Policy Red Teaming" 🌍💡

#ScienceSparring 🥊 strengthens the evidence base of policy development by bringing researchers and policymakers together at the critical early stage.

In the globalTA webinar Linda Lammensalo and Laura Väliniemi , knowledge brokers from the 🇫🇮 The Finnish Academy of Science and Letters, explain how and why they initiated this approach.

Video of the webinar:
https://youtu.be/p-5IMZcG3xk?si=Xi439rYvF9low2i6

#globalTA #technologyassessment

Out now and just in time for the festive season: ❄️🎄 TATuP's winter issue 2025 "Deeply sustainable technologies: Beyond extractivism, exploitation, and exclusion" 34/3 (2025)

The new TATuP Special topic brings together contributions that scrutinize the feasibility of deeply sustainable socio-technical innovations.

Find all articles #openaccess at ➡️ https://www.tatup.de/index.php/tatup/issue/view/185

#technologyassessment #convivialtechnology #deepsustainability #solidarity #care @KIT_Karlsruhe @technikfolgen @ITAS