When a technology is seen as the right solution to a recognized problem, the development of alternative technologies comes under threat. To secure much-needed resources, proponents of alternative technologies must, in these conditions, restart societal discussion on the status quo, a process at once technological and discursive known as ‘path creation’. In this article, we investigate discussion-restarting strategies employed by supporters of emerging technologies in the field of solar fuels, particularly the advocates of a technology referred to as ‘artificial photosynthesis’. For illustrative purposes we explore four such strategies: revisiting weak spots, resizing the problem, redefining the game, and renegotiating labels. We conclude with a methodological reflection on the empirical study of discursive strategies in a socio-technical system. We further suggest a more systematic application of discourse-analytical and argumentation-theoretical insights that can complement current scholarship on path dependence and path creation.

中文翻译：

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作为一种话语过程的路径创建：对太阳能燃料领域讨论发起者的研究


当一项技术被视为解决已知问题的正确解决方案时，替代技术的开发就会受到威胁。为了获得急需的资源，替代技术的支持者必须在这种情况下重新启动对现状的社会讨论，这一过程既具有技术性又具有话语性，被称为“路径创造”。在本文中，我们研究了太阳能燃料领域新兴技术的支持者所采用的重启讨论策略，特别是“人工光合作用”技术的倡导者。为了说明的目的，我们探讨了四种这样的策略：重新审视弱点、调整问题大小、重新定义游戏和重新协商标签。最后，我们对社会技术系统中话语策略的实证研究进行了方法论反思。我们进一步建议更系统地应用话语分析和论证理论见解，以补充当前关于路径依赖和路径创造的学术成果。