Nowotny

Drew Murphy

Illustrate why you think that the quest for innovation at the beginning of the 21st century has become such an obsession.

I think the quest for innovation in the 21st century is so strong because the types of innovations that are being developed are creating a feedback loop back into the innovation process. Every innovation starts as an idea for someone. Or more specifically, every innovation involves the exchange of ideas between others. This idea exchange process is the central engine within the innovation. What we are witnessing now is an innovation cycle fueled by the accelerating process of idea exchange that is occurring on a massive scale. When many of the central innovations such as digital and communication technologies exist to facilitate and manage idea exchange then the kinetic energy of innovation takes on the process of a looping chain reaction. I think that condition we are in right now... a massive self-fulfilling cycle of idea exchange.

I agree with Drew in that the quest for innovation is very strong because of the feedback loop it has created. As Nowotny mentions, "an abstract goal of innovation might be the "enhancement" of the human self" (p.13). As we create advanced biotechnologies, endotechnologies, reproductive technologies, etc, we get an insatiable hunger for more and more. Like Drew mentions, we are in "a massive self-fulfilling cycle of idea exchange" that can't seem to slow down because there seems to be endless opportunities to innovate and create to "better" ourselves. I don't think that the quest for innovation will cease any time soon for the majority of people among many different cultural backgrounds.

Hello Drew and Alicia,

You make some very good points about how the quest for innovation is strong because of the feedback loop that has been created. Do you think that we'll ever run out of innovations because it does not better human society? For instance, Blu-ray / High Def., do you think they'll ever improve the image quality of these? I "heard" that there would be no point to further the innovations of TV screens in terms of image quality because the human eye cannot see any better. Maybe instead of the TV screen, we'll start working on the eye itself! To not have to wear glasses/contacts would be great! It's amazing when we look at the history of such an innovation that has been re-invented over and over again. (Read the Moody article from Module 6 about the progress of television - very interesting read and I believe connected to Nowotny's concept of innovation).

I love how our Modules are starting to connect and build upon each other!

In regards to the statement, "Illustrate why you think that the quest for innovation at the beginning of the 21st century has become such an obsession," I would contend that the quest for innovation is an innate part of humanity that has always been and always will be a part of us. Farming traces its origins to various ancient civilizations and created a revolution in the hunter-gatherer societies of the time. Furthermore, the development of ancient tools and weapons was a process based on innovation, examination, and scrutiny. Therefore, to say that our quest of innovation became an obession in this past century is simply incorrect.

The primary difference between the present day and the past in terms of innovation is that our lines of communication and collaboration are now instantaneous. Knowledge can be stored, documented, and shared through electronic media and the internet, which were unavailable in the past. Additionally, the sciences involving human psychology, sociology, education, philosophy, and educational technology profer entirely new networks of people and resources for understandings of ourselves and our capabilities. As such, the role of innovation in our society in the digital age is less tangible in the physical sense but nonetheless relevant to our quest for truth, understanding, and creation.