ABSTRACT
This part introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the next subsequent chapter. The part examines the sociological bases of modern knowledge policy, in particular the increasing importance of non-explicit or tacit knowledge. It focuses on practical knowledge policy issues, that is, "genetics, nanotechnology, robotics," and "bioinformatics." The part is concerned with two fields of interest: on the one hand, how risk is to be handled in the constitutional state, and on the other, how knowledge, the lack of knowledge, and uncertain knowledge are to be handled under the conditions set by an increasingly global society. The elitist circles of the society, rational materialists and the profoundly utilitarian, are hard to control. The part also focuses on the topical fields of the implementation of such policies in light of concrete developments in different fields of knowledge production. It investigates the risks of biotechnology, in particular bioinformatics.
