Continental Philosophy of TechnoScience 2023

logo universiteit wageningenThe Dutch Research School of Philosophy (OZSW), the 4TU Center for Ethics and Technology and Wageningen University invite PhD students in philosophy to register for the course Continental Philosophy of TechnoScience to take place on March 20-31, 2023.

Organizing university

Wageningen University

Date(s)

March 20-31, 2023

Location

Wageningen University (The Netherlands).

Type of activity

Course

Primary target group

PhD students (alfa, gamma, beta) who do study in the fields of philosophy of technology and philosophy of science, who want to learn more about both the background and contemporary developments in philosophy of technoscience. International students are also welcome to join.

If places available, also open to

Research Master students are encouraged to register for the course as well.

Application/registration deadline

The deadline for registration is 8 March, 2023.

About the topic

This course focuses on present-day and particularly continental philosophical approaches to technology and science. The course consists of 12 sessions (120mins), with 6 sessions centering around authors (e.g. Heidegger, Simondon, Stiegler), and the other six sessions being more thematic (e.g. Synthetic Cell, AI, Anthropocene). Confirmed lecturers include Prof. Peter-Paul Verbeek; dr. Vincent Blok; Prof. Tamar Sharon; and Prof. Susanna Lindberg. (see below for a full overview)

Students get to know several of the leading perspectives in philosophy of technology, both in terms of main authors and methods, as well as contemporary topics and issues. The course focusses on fundamental philosophical and conceptual issues and questions, thereby aiming to shed light on the assumptions that often implicitly structure the discourses of science and technology today. However, these fundamental issues are discussed in light of contemporary technoscientific developments and associated research by the lecturers. This includes issues like:

– The implications of AI for considerations of (human/non-human/posthuman) intelligence.

– Technology as a planetary phenomenon in the age of the Anthropocene.

– Synthetic cells as a new chapter in the history of the relation between nature and technology.

– The implications of novel techno-scientific developments for philosophical Anthropology.

Aim / objective

To become acquainted with the main contemporary philosophical issues, methods, and questions in continental approaches to technoscience in the 21st century.

Program

Date / Time Location Theme Lecturer
20-31 March 2023 WUR (tba) Human-Tech relations, Hermeneutics P. P. Verbeek
20-31 March 2023 WUR (tba) Psycho-Tech H. de Preester
20-31 March 2023 WUR (tba) World V. Blok
20-31 March 2023 WUR (tba) Synthetic Cell H. Zwart
20-31 March 2023 WUR (tba) Anthropocene J. Zwier
20-31 March 2023 WUR (tba) Entanglement and Method T. Sharon
20-31 March 2023 WUR (tba) Plessner E. Keymolen
20-31 March 2023 WUR (tba) Heidegger V. Blok
20-31 March 2023 WUR (tba) Simondon S. Lindberg
20-31 March 2023 WUR (tba) Stiegler P. Lemmens
20-31 March 2023 WUR (tba) Bachelard M. Simons
20-31 March 2023 WUR (tba) Husserl / Merleau-Ponty M. Wehrle

It is obligatory to attend all sessions of the course.

Lecturers

Please see the table beneath the section Program.

Required preparations

Participants are expected to read all the assigned literature, to do assignments and to actively participate in the discussions. Students will complete the course with a final written assignment, where they link their own research to one or more of the discussed topics.

Last updated May 5, 2022.

Certificate / credit points

For this course participants can earn a certificate after successful completion. Please note, however, that the OZSW is not accredited to reward students with credits/ECTS directly. The study load is mentioned on the certificate, which can usually be exchanged for ‘real’ credits (ECTS) at your home university. For more info please see https://www.ozsw.nl/request-certificate/. The study load for this activity is: 5 ECTS

Costs

– Free for PhD students who are a member of the 4TU Center for Ethics and Technology and/or OZSW and/or another research school in Humanites (LOGOS);
– Free for Research Master students who are a member of the 4TU Center for Ethics and Technology and/or OZSW and/or another research school in Humanities (LOGOS);

All others pay a tuition fee of 300 euros.
Please note that there might be the option to register as a member of the OZSW which would give you free entrance to this and all other OZSW activities. Please check if you are eligible here: https://www.ozsw.nl/membership-2020/

How to apply / register

Registration for this course is closed.

If registration has been closed, you can submit your name to the waiting list by sending an email to assistant.director@ozsw.nl. There might be last minute cancellations. Please also indicate whether you are a ReMa student or PhD candidate and whether you are a member of the OZSW or not.

In case of too many applications, the coordinator of the course will make a selection. In case of too little applications, the course will be cancelled. In case of cancellation, the OZSW will inform participants at least one week in advance. The OZSW is not responsible for any (accommodation) costs that students may have made in preparation for the course.

Cancellation and registration policy

Organizers

Vincent Blok, vincent.blok@wur.nl – Wageningen University
Jochem Zwier, jochem.zwier@wur.nl – Wageningen University

For further information related to the contents of this course, please contact the coordinator Jochem Zwier at the following e-mail address jochem.zwier@wur.nl. For practical inquiries, please contact assistant.director@ozsw.nl.