Key Issues of Integrative Technology Assessment more

This paper has been written with the intention to present some conceptual and programmatic considerations. The length of its complete title is therefore nothing less than an expression of the idea to pay attention to far-reaching and broad civilizational and paradigmatic connections instead of focussing on a single area of professional specialization.
In this way – and according to KISS, a well-known principle of great design that says “Keep It Simple and Straightforward” – four clusters of contents will be introduced and treated subsequently:
(1) “Progress”, because its shaping is indeed the central subject of governance of science and technology in general and of technology assessment (TA) in particular!
(2) “Vulnerability”, because that is the very challenge of our times!
(3) “Sustainable Development”, because that really answers the question of how to gain the future!
(4) “Governance of Science and Technology”, because evidently there is some discrepancy between a growing demand for a good governance of these issues and a lack of satisfying strategies and concepts of how to do that! Therefore – and because of the fact that technology assessment is of crucial importance for any ambitious governance approach – I would like to introduce a framework concept that I call “Integrative Technology Assessment” (ITA).
Moreover, and in order to develop my argument in a clear and understandable way, there will be composed four general theses on the line of the four points, one of each for “progress”, “vulnerability” and “sustainable development” plus one for the concluding general thesis.