Funtowicz, S. and J. Ravetz. (****). Post-normal science: Environmental policy under conditions of complexity. Nusap.net. downloaded *****

New tasks connected to sustainability require new intellectual tools.

The structure and properties related to the phenomenon of sustainability are complex.

"Systems that are complex are not merely complicated; by their nature they invovle deep uncertainties and a plurality of legitimate perspectives."

simple systems can be captured as deterministic or causal analysis

complex systems are a collection of elements "defined by their relations within some sort of hierarchy or hierarchies."

hierarchies could be scale

if an awareness of their own limitations is excluded - traditional technical expertise, if the awareness is built in to the process and enriches the analysis, this is "Post-Normal Science"

two key properties of complex systems

irreducible uncertainties

multiplicity of legitimate perspectives

another cause of uncertainty is that the organization of concepts (discipline based study) will "only accidentally coincide with the boundaries and structures that are relevant to a given policy issue"

"normal" means that you can solve a problem in the context of an unquestioned paradigm

"science" has been traditionally assumed to be value free, but the values are integral to environmental management decisions

characteristics of post-normal process

contains risk and uncertainty (sometimes irreducible uncertainty)

environmental standards need to include peoples' values

extended peer communities should be consulted for their experience and methods for articulating values <!-- peer review -->

wider range of viewpoints explored

Example of unintential post-normal process

mad cow disease in Britain

experts said that there was minimal risk of transmission and expansion of the disease

skeptics were marginalized and dismissed

when it did happen, it was the revulsion (values) of the public that drove the process

the government had to accept uncertainty and turn to peer network (of non-traditional participants) to resolve the problem