TA bases itself on liberal democratic premises. But there is growing skepticism from democratic theory based on empirical insights that liberal democratic countries are increasingly dysfunctional and implausible in delivering on their promises. Parameters on the input side, like equal inclusion and participation in discourse & representation of the demos, or comprehensibility of political processes, and parameters on the output side, like pacification of inequalities through access to wealth, elite control, problem solving capacity, or environmental protection through sustainability are not working anymore.
I argue that these unacceptable democratic conditions are bridged with the societal performance of hype in liberal democracies – as “listen to the science” is not feasible politics anymore. For the demos such drastic interventions in their project of self-realization and autonomy are too demanding, too stressful and simply overburdening.
Especially the privileged parts of the demos chose to compensate this unpleasant realization and bridge these obvious tensions through a politics of hype: a social dynamic produced through an emotional staging and circulation of a distinct and laudable - but actually unrealistic and opportunistically exaggerated - future. For example, the politics of hype points to the emotional celebration of technology as an efficient and sustainable future, without really politically changing anything – except for the stock value of some privileged financial strata. Hype celebrates extreme politization without political consequences. It works with the staging of bold promises, the performance of bullshit (Frankfurt, 2005) as laudable and feasible. As a counter - reaction to the realization of double standards of elites and the dysfunctionality of the liberal system, increasing parts of the demos choose to question or even rage against Western liberal democracy.
For global TA these processes are of uttermost importance. If liberal democratic values are in crisis and Western countries perform political double standards – how can TA be a guiding model for other countries? If democracy becomes dysfunctional, isn’t the epistemological and normative self-understanding of TA eroding with it?
