Starting from hopelessness – grand challenges, sustainable development goals, and responsible research and innovation under urgency and uncertainty

Bibliographic Data

ID15736151
AuthorsSophia Efstathiou (0000-0001-7074-3043, The American College of Greece, corresponding author), Mrudhula Koshy (0000-0002-9359-8392, Norwegian University of Science and Technology), Avijit Vinayak Pandit (0000-0002-3308-1690, Norwegian University of Science and Technology)
Year2025
Volume12
Issue1
Pages2497609-2497609
Publication date2025-05-22
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Responsible Innovation (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2329-9037 • E-ISSN: 2329-9460
PublisherTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/23299460.2025.2497609
PMID40740275
OpenAlexW4410609756
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited63

International governance has responded to global challenges like climate change, poverty or health through the UN Sustainable Development Goals, or Grand Challenges for research. This paper provocatively proposes that, besides goal-setting, responding to urgent societal challenges can start from hopelessness. Starting from hopelessness, attends to, and accepts a given situation, and harvests its potentials. Building on Jullien's work on Taoist approaches to effective action and Bovens's definition of hope, we define starting from hopelessness as (a) desiring an outcome, (b) believing it is possible, though uncertain, and, instead of imagining things otherwise, (c) accepting the grim situation one is in, harvesting what potential it offers without pre-set plans. The principles of acceptance, humility and togetherness help guide hopeless action. We illustrate divergent crisis responses, starting from goals or from hopelessness, through cases in Orissa and Wayanad, India. We further explore what 'hopeless planning' and 'hopeless research and innovation' may involve

Business · Engineering ethics · Environmental ethics · Grand Challenges · Political science · Public relations · Responsible Research and Innovation · Sustainable development · Engineering · Innovation and Socioeconomic Development · Psychology · Sustainable Development and Environmental Policy

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