ABSTRACT
The dogma that emerging technologies are essential to economic growth and improvements in quality of life is so ingrained within society that it is almost a truism. Certainly, it is hard to deny the benefits that have arisen from previous “technological revolutions” from as far back as the agricultural revolution to the more recent advents of synthetic chemistry, silicon-based semiconductors and genetic engineering. Yet these and other science and technology-driven innovations have not come without a price (Winston, 2010). From the spread of pandemics to global growth in obesity, and transportation-related fatalities to climate change, many of the challenges facing society today have their roots in past and present social/technological innovations.
