Lectures in Norwegian: Det nye trylleordet: Lurer vi oss selv når vi snakker om innovasjon?

We are going to innovate our way out of the climate crisis. We are going to innovate healthcare, the public sector and the Norwegian economy. Why has innovation become the buzzword of our time?

It is almost impossible to be against innovation. Politicians, business leaders and academics talk about innovation as if it were inherently good; as if more innovation automatically means a better society. But what do we actually mean by it?

Philosopher Alexander Myklebust has spent several years examining the history and ideas behind innovation policy. From Joseph Schumpeter to today’s thinking on “mission-oriented innovation,” innovation has evolved from describing economic and technological change into becoming a political project: we are not merely creating new things; we are attempting to steer societal development through innovation.

But can we really steer societal development in this way? What happens when innovation is no longer simply something that occurs in the economy, but becomes a political means of achieving particular societal goals? And what conception of society, progress and the future lies behind the belief that we can innovate our way out of every problem and into every solution?

Alexander Myklebust is a philosopher and researcher at NTNU. Among other works, he has written the book The Meaning of Innovation: A Reflection on the Morality and Political Economy of Innovation.

Silje Haus-Reve is Professor of Innovation and Regional Studies at the University of Stavanger.

Please note that this event will be conducted in Norwegian.