Conférence de Sébastien Lechevalier (CRJ/CCJ-FFJ) dans le cadre du séminaire interdisciplinaire « Société et culture du Japon contemporain », à l’occasion de la parution de l’ouvrage (publication numérique) Innovation Beyond Technology: Science for Society and Interdisciplinary Approaches (Sébastien Lechevalier (éd.), Springer, 2019).

For a few decades now, innovation – mainly derived from technological advances – has been considered a driving force of economic and societal development and prosperity. The dominant view is that, in the context of globalization, and the accompanying rise of international competition, OECD countries have a choice between two options: innovate or perish. 
However, the last two decades, which can be regarded as the golden age of innovation, saw a gradual shift in ideology. There has been indeed growing doubt about the relevance of the dominant model of innovation. 
This introductory chapter’s main goal is to analyze the conditions of a shift from a techno-centric society to a human-centric society, one where technology’s potential for positive impact is not disregarded, but where social and human well-being is central to realize this potential. Another goal is to discuss non-technological aspects of innovation and their importance in dealing with complex contemporary societal issues, while also making a critical assessment of the relationship between science, technology, innovation (STI) and society.