Field of discourse

Field of discourse for bioeconomy

Developments in bioeconomy open up new opportunities, but at the same time they question our relationship with the environment and nature. How do we want to deal with this personally and as a society?

At the beginning of our research project “Farming the Uncanny Valley” the question arose how one can iniciate an in-depth discourse on bioeconomic topics. In a series of workshops in rural and urban areas, we translated examples from current research into sceneries in order to make aspects of a future life with bioeconomy tangible and discussible in peoples’ lifeworld. At the end of our project, we compared and sorted all statements that we had collected in the course of our workshop series in order to analyse them and use them as a field of discourse. Our hope is that the resulting graphic will help to orientate oneself in these discourses and to compare positions on different topics.

Power, responsibility, justice

What can I actually do? What is my responsibility? What is my understanding of justice?

Questions about one's own power, one's own responsibility and one's own image of justice guide our discourse on bioeconomy. They connect directly to the self in the center - the self is moved by the questions. An examination of the terms power, responsibility and justice lets me wander through the map shown here. It allows me to explore and get to know new positions. Sometimes blind spots appear and sometimes you discover unfamiliar terrain. The questions of power, responsibility and justice are the signposts and the impulse to move me on the thematic map. They help me to develop an attitude.

Images of nature, technology and mankind

What is my image of nature and technology and how is my understanding of what it means to be a human ? Are these three terms closely related for me? Or do I relate to one of them in particular?

We rarely think about it in everyday life, but our perception of nature, man and technology shapes our actions, our values and, last but not least, our attitudes towards new technologies, also in the field of bioeconomy. The triangle of nature, man and technology spans our field of discourse. All those topics that we associate with the bioeconomy can be located within this field. According to one's own topic preferences, the field of discourse is filled differently for each individual person. In addition, the field is shaped by our personal relationship with nature, technology and our understanding of what it means to be a human depending on our own attitudes, perspectives and points of view. All arguments, feelings and attitudes towards a technical development are taking place in this field of discourse.

The self

What do bioeconomy, power and nature have to do with me? Which values ​​determine my actions? Do my actions have an impact on social developments?

It is complex to imagine a society in which bioeconomy is commonplace and at the same time to find out whether or not we would like to live in this society ourselves. The self moves on our field of discourse to find answers to questions about one's own point of view. We explore the thematic map, which stretches between images of nature, technology and mankind. Questions about power, justice and responsibility let us reflect on our knowledge, our influence and our values ​​and connect the self with the topics of the discourse. They lead us to our own opinion. In doing so, we occasionally discover contradictions within ourselves that are nevertheless an important part of our exploration.

The uncanny

What do bioeconomic topics trigger in me? Where do I have a weird gut feeling? And how do I deal with this feeling?

The bioeconomy field of discourse is comparable to a diverse landscape. When developing our own point of view, the path of the self temporarily leads over hills and through valleys, in which we feel an uncomfortable feeling. Here, we encounter confusion and things that question our usual patterns and confront us with ambiguities, contradictions and feelings of insecurity. This can lead to emotions such as disgust, anger, fear, irritation and surprise. We can only overcome these feelings if we deal with the uncanny. To do this, we have to step out of our comfort zone and dare to climb, which helps us to gain an overview of the seemingly eerie valley and broaden our personal horizons.