Outline Fabian Scholtes, Centre for Development Research, Bonn Moral values and Solar Panels: moral knowledge in technology-based development Introduction: why look at the morality-technology nexus Observations: development and the practice of moral norms and values Moral knowledge: a concept for empirical research The moral facet of solar panels Fabian Scholtes: On Moral Values and Solar Panels: Moral knowledge in technology-based development – STEPS, Oct. 31, 2008

Fabian Scholtes, Centre for Development Research, Bonn

Moral values and Solar Panels:

moral knowledge in technology-based development

Introduction: why look at the morality-technology nexus

Observations: development and the practice of moral norms and values

Moral knowledge: a concept for empirical research

The moral facet of solar panels

Background General objective: understand better how micro interaction works in development practice Focus 1: moral values as ubiquitous but ambivalent aspect in a moral-political field Focus 2: technology-based development – renewable energy technologies (RETs) Focus 3: hinterland of Northeast Brazil – the poorhouse in a regional superpower Focus 4: local practices around the socio-cultural installation and integration of tangible technological systems Link to STEPS: the S/sustainability of RETs Fabian Scholtes: On Moral Values and Solar Panels: Moral knowledge in technology-based development – STEPS, Oct. 31, 2008

General objective: understand better how micro interaction works in development practice

Focus 1: moral values as ubiquitous but ambivalent aspect in a moral-political field

Focus 2: technology-based development – renewable energy technologies (RETs)

Focus 3: hinterland of Northeast Brazil – the poorhouse in a regional superpower

Focus 4: local practices around the socio-cultural installation and integration of tangible technological systems

Link to STEPS: the S/sustainability of RETs

The morality/technology nexus Insights from STS The ‚morality‘ of a weighty hotelroom key and a fast-closing door-spring: pre-scription and ethics delegated to things Socio-cultural life-cycle of technological devices/systems: from design to use and re-configuration co-constructions of/according to purposes and meanings The morality of green technology: ‚morality made durable, and to be installed durably‘ – but subject to life-cycle => nexus for this research: ambivalence of ‚good technology‘ as a materialisation of the ambivalence of ‚development‘ Fabian Scholtes: On Moral Values and Solar Panels: Moral knowledge in technology-based development – STEPS, Oct. 31, 2008

Insights from STS

The ‚morality‘ of a weighty hotelroom key and a fast-closing door-spring: pre-scription and ethics delegated to things

Socio-cultural life-cycle of technological devices/systems:

from design to use and re-configuration

co-constructions of/according to purposes and meanings

The morality of green technology: ‚morality made durable, and to be installed durably‘ – but subject to life-cycle

=> nexus for this research: ambivalence of ‚good technology‘ as a materialisation of the ambivalence of ‚development‘

Development and morality Assumptions Moral: oughts/obligations, as related to (interaction with) others => formal, analytical, external concept Practice of moral norms/values vs. moral practice ‘ Evidence’ from the literature: strands of ambivalence Undermining/instrumentalising e.g. ‘participation’ Moral discrepancies and struggle at social/cultural interfaces Brokerage/translation: moral boundary concepts Emergence of moral order from contestation and improvisation Discursive moral structure Limits to ‘orderly’ and moral practice Fabian Scholtes: On Moral Values and Solar Panels: Moral knowledge in technology-based development – STEPS, Oct. 31, 2008

Assumptions

Moral: oughts/obligations, as related to (interaction with) others => formal, analytical, external concept

Practice of moral norms/values vs. moral practice

‘ Evidence’ from the literature: strands of ambivalence

Undermining/instrumentalising e.g. ‘participation’

Moral discrepancies and struggle at social/cultural interfaces

Brokerage/translation: moral boundary concepts

Emergence of moral order from contestation and improvisation

Discursive moral structure

Limits to ‘orderly’ and moral practice

The ‚technical code‘ A classical double-bind of donor agencies‘ policy: Get them in the driver‘s seat (it‘s about their ownership/Sustainability)... ... to go the way we want them to (we have to account for success ) Stage development as technical fix/support Hide donor‘s influence in technical rationality of means Maintain partner‘s autonomy Technical code as meta-code that enables negotiation (rather than depoliticisation) => Technical, but nevertheless moral (liberally ‚neutral‘) discourse as constructive repertory Fabian Scholtes: On Moral Values and Solar Panels: Moral knowledge in technology-based development – STEPS, Oct. 31, 2008

A classical double-bind of donor agencies‘ policy:

Get them in the driver‘s seat (it‘s about their ownership/Sustainability)...

... to go the way we want them to (we have to account for success )

Stage development as technical fix/support

Hide donor‘s influence in technical rationality of means

Maintain partner‘s autonomy

Technical code as meta-code that enables negotiation (rather than depoliticisation)

=> Technical, but nevertheless moral (liberally ‚neutral‘) discourse as constructive repertory

Facets of practice Moral values as social structure: restrictive (norms) and enabling (orientation) frame repertory: strategic and cooperative (boundary objects) Agency: affirmative, deviant, constructive Agents: morally ‚and‘ strategically motivated Ex.: participation : restricting policies, orienting practice, killer argument, unite diverse actors Fabian Scholtes: On Moral Values and Solar Panels: Moral knowledge in technology-based development – STEPS, Oct. 31, 2008

Moral values as social structure:

restrictive (norms) and enabling (orientation) frame

repertory: strategic and cooperative (boundary objects)

Agency: affirmative, deviant, constructive

Agents: morally ‚and‘ strategically motivated

Ex.: participation : restricting policies, orienting practice, killer argument, unite diverse actors

‚ Moral knowledge‘ Why understand moral values as knowledge? Differentiate from morality as condition or motivation Capture the structural (frame) and agency (resource) aspect Capture intangible character and levels of consciousness (practical vs. discursive consciousness) Differentiate/relate to other knowledges know-that vs. know-how; empirical (causal/process vs. facts/state); knowledge systems: local, expert, organisational, … ‘ Moral knowledge’: ensemble of moral norms and values that are relevant in context by ‘being known’ A sociological approach, unlike moral epistemology! Fabian Scholtes: On Moral Values and Solar Panels: Moral knowledge in technology-based development – STEPS, Oct. 31, 2008

Why understand moral values as knowledge?

Differentiate from morality as condition or motivation

Capture the structural (frame) and agency (resource) aspect

Capture intangible character and levels of consciousness (practical vs. discursive consciousness)

Differentiate/relate to other knowledges

know-that vs. know-how; empirical (causal/process vs. facts/state);

knowledge systems: local, expert, organisational, …

‘ Moral knowledge’: ensemble of moral norms and values that are relevant in context by ‘being known’

A sociological approach, unlike moral epistemology!

Operationalising Some insights from F. Barth’s Anthropology of Knowledge Stock of knowledge: what is known to be ‘good’, ‘just’ etc. elements are overlapping and distributed – who knows what? Ways of knowing (1) : the creation of stock and structure how elements are represented, communicated etc. how elements are attributed a moral status how (new) elements are (re-) ordered and made coherence Ways of knowing (2) : agency and the practice of structure Implementation, orientation, use, manipulation, justification of choices, … Structuration: affirmation, critique, re-production => ontologically, separating these is wrong! It is dialectical analysis. Fabian Scholtes: On Moral Values and Solar Panels: Moral knowledge in technology-based development – STEPS, Oct. 31, 2008

Some insights from F. Barth’s Anthropology of Knowledge

Stock of knowledge: what is known to be ‘good’, ‘just’ etc.

elements are overlapping and distributed – who knows what?

Ways of knowing (1) : the creation of stock and structure

how elements are represented, communicated etc.

how elements are attributed a moral status

how (new) elements are (re-) ordered and made coherence

Ways of knowing (2) : agency and the practice of structure

Implementation, orientation, use, manipulation, justification of choices, …

Structuration: affirmation, critique, re-production

=> ontologically, separating these is wrong! It is dialectical analysis.

Application Where to find and research moral knowledge? ask for judgements/arguments; check moral codes analyse performance of ethics in ‚moral breakdowns‘ observe management of daily dilemmas, conflicts etc. explicitly ethical set-ups (participation) vs. others document developments of practice and of the moral status of a policy, a practice, a project an artefact or a socio-technological system ??? Fabian Scholtes: On Moral Values and Solar Panels: Moral knowledge in technology-based development – STEPS, Oct. 31, 2008

Where to find and research moral knowledge?

ask for judgements/arguments; check moral codes

analyse performance of ethics in ‚moral breakdowns‘

observe management of daily dilemmas, conflicts etc.

explicitly ethical set-ups (participation) vs. others

document developments of practice and of the moral status of

a policy, a practice, a project

an artefact or a socio-technological system ???

Decentralised RETs: installed morality? “ Worldwide more than 1,6 billion people do not have access to electricity. 80 % of those live in rural areas. […] The provision of a stable and reliable access to electricity in rural areas […] becomes the foundation for development and progress. Electricity […] enables poor communities to take their destiny in their own hands. […] How can access to electricity and the fight against climate change be reconciled? Renewable energies are the solution. […]” ( Ernesto Macias, President, Alliance Rural Electrification ARE ) Empowerment: general infrastructure, purposes open Humanism: close to beneficiary, master of destiny Environmental soundness Productivism: create production, growth, employment Fabian Scholtes: On Moral Values and Solar Panels: Moral knowledge in technology-based development – STEPS, Oct. 31, 2008

“ Worldwide more than 1,6 billion people do not have access to electricity. 80 % of those live in rural areas. […] The provision of a stable and reliable access to electricity in rural areas […] becomes the foundation for development and progress. Electricity […] enables poor communities to take their destiny in their own hands.

[…] How can access to electricity and the fight against climate change be reconciled? Renewable energies are the solution. […]”

( Ernesto Macias, President, Alliance Rural Electrification ARE )

Empowerment: general infrastructure, purposes open

Humanism: close to beneficiary, master of destiny

Environmental soundness

Productivism: create production, growth, employment

Solar panels Public/collective uses Water pumping and storage Agricultural processing Street and public building lighting Community centre (solar ICT kiosk) Fabian Scholtes: On Moral Values and Solar Panels: Moral knowledge in technology-based development – STEPS, Oct. 31, 2008

Public/collective uses

Water pumping and storage

Agricultural processing

Street and public building lighting

Community centre (solar ICT kiosk)

Solar panels Public/collective uses Water pumping and storage Agricultural processing Street and public building lighting Community centre (solar ICT kiosk) Fabian Scholtes: On Moral Values and Solar Panels: Moral knowledge in technology-based development – STEPS, Oct. 31, 2008 Private uses TV, radio, lamps, electric fan small processing units

Public/collective uses

Water pumping and storage

Agricultural processing

Street and public building lighting

Community centre (solar ICT kiosk)

Private uses

TV, radio, lamps, electric fan

small processing units

The co-construction of the morality of PV „ what is the device‘s moral legacy when being induced?“ who provides the technology? How do their intentions relate to ‚local‘ ones? using and making markets? imperialist modernisation? which are (inbuilt) long-term development intentions and justifications? standard of living, growth, climate change mitigation, ... which are the intended uses and applications? What is their moral status? „ how are practices and people re-organised?“ autonomy of users vs. accountability, reponsibility, solidarity, ... SolarHomeSystem vs. community panel Who benefits? distributive justice – man‘s gain? cultural change and the introduction of new values „ which moral meaning does the technology acquire?“ a driver of individualisation? Of new dependence? Which MK is practiced in this lifecycle, how, and how does it change? Fabian Scholtes: On Moral Values and Solar Panels: Moral knowledge in technology-based development – STEPS, Oct. 31, 2008

„ what is the device‘s moral legacy when being induced?“

who provides the technology? How do their intentions relate to ‚local‘ ones?

using and making markets? imperialist modernisation?

which are (inbuilt) long-term development intentions and justifications?

standard of living, growth, climate change mitigation, ...

which are the intended uses and applications? What is their moral status?

„ how are practices and people re-organised?“

autonomy of users vs. accountability, reponsibility, solidarity, ...

SolarHomeSystem vs. community panel

Who benefits? distributive justice – man‘s gain?

cultural change and the introduction of new values

„ which moral meaning does the technology acquire?“

a driver of individualisation? Of new dependence?

Which MK is practiced in this lifecycle, how, and how does it change?

Discussion (How) does it make sense – and is it useful – to research the moral status and moral power of RET, or of technology in general? (How) does it make sense to conceptualise the practice of moral norms and values as a practice of knowledge ? How could sociologies of knowledge add/relate to this? How could sociologies of technology add/relate to this? Thank you! Further comments are much appreciated: Please email to mail@fabianscholtes.de Fabian Scholtes: On Moral Values and Solar Panels: Moral knowledge in technology-based development – STEPS, Oct. 31, 2008

(How) does it make sense – and is it useful – to research the moral status and moral power of RET, or of technology in general?

(How) does it make sense to conceptualise the practice of moral norms and values as a practice of knowledge ?

How could sociologies of knowledge add/relate to this?

How could sociologies of technology add/relate to this?

Thank you!

Further comments are much appreciated:

Please email to mail@fabianscholtes.de