ABSTRACT

Earlier chapters have highlighted the changing relationships between science and society and the implications that this has for both the nature of knowledge production and the nature of the political process. This chapter takes a closer look at language as a central dimension in the complex relationships between science, society, technology and the environment. The authors argue that language is generally considered as a mere instrument that can be used for passing information between speakers and that can be subjected to good or bad usage; yet, this conception does not take into account the dynamic nature of language, its constant evolution and the ways in which any language can be both enabling and constricting.