Research participants as 'pioneers'? Exploring how neurotechnology research is adapting the rhetoric of scientific risk-taking, exploration and trailblazing.

The theme of pioneers charting new frontiers has long been a staple of scientific and technological discourse in the United States. Scientists, engineers and entrepreneurs perceived as doing groundbreaking work are lauded as pioneers in their fields. In recent years, the application of the pioneer l...

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Publicado en:Science as Culture Vol. 35; no. 2; pp. 218 - 245
Autores principales: Brown, Andrew Ivan, Goering, Sara, Klein, Eran
Formato: Artículo
Publicado: Taylor & Francis Ltd Jun2026
Materias:
Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
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        atl: Research participants as 'pioneers'? Exploring how neurotechnology research is adapting the rhetoric of scientific risk-taking, exploration and trailblazing.
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          Brown, Andrew Ivan
          Goering, Sara
          Klein, Eran
        affil:
          Centre for Biomedicine, Self and Society, University of Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
          Department of Philosophy, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
          Department of Neurology, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA
      su:
        United States
        Human research subjects
        Clinical trials
        Courage
        Technological innovations
        Neurotechnology (Bioengineering)
        Brain-computer interfaces
        Scientific language
        Human experimentation
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          Human research subjects
          Clinical trials
          Courage
          Technological innovations
          United States
          Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Biotechnology)
          Neurotechnology (Bioengineering)
          Brain-computer interfaces
          Scientific language
          Human experimentation
      keyword:
        naming
        Neuralink
        Neuroethics
        qualitative
        science and technology studies
        technology journalism
        naming
        Neuralink
        Neuroethics
        qualitative
        science and technology studies
        technology journalism
      ab: The theme of pioneers charting new frontiers has long been a staple of scientific and technological discourse in the United States. Scientists, engineers and entrepreneurs perceived as doing groundbreaking work are lauded as pioneers in their fields. In recent years, the application of the pioneer label has expanded to include research participants in clinical trials for neurotechnologies such as Neuralink or other brain-computer interface (BCI) devices: 'BCI pioneers.' What might explain this new popular usage of the pioneer label? American science policy in the mid twentieth century drew on the mythos of the American frontier as a way of mobilizing public interest in scientific and technological innovation on a mass scale. One such way of mobilizing interest was to use frontier rhetoric to attribute novelty to scientific undertakings and technological developments: dubbed the new frontiers. A less explored aspect of this history is the application of the pioneer label to patients and research participants in scientific, mostly biomedical, studies. Through the use of frontier rhetoric, articulations of novelty can be attributed to patients and participants, and their participatory practices, including being the first to undergo a new medical procedure, as well as being explorers and trailblazers in their own right. Such rhetoric may be understood as mobilizing support for research participants by acknowledging their bravery, altruism and contributions to science, with implications for participatory science and scientific and technological innovation.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype: Article
      src: R
    language: English
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