Continental Philosophy of Technoscience: A Diagnostics of the Present

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The Dutch Research School of Philosophy (OZSW), the Radboud University, and Wageningen University invite PhD students to register for the course ‘Continental Philosophy of Technoscience: A Diagnostics of the Present‘, taking place from 12 to 19 September, 2018.

Organizing university

Radboud University, Wageningen University

Date(s)

12-19 September, 2018

Location

Radboud University Nijmegen

Type of activity

Summer Course

Type of activity

For this activity PhD students and ReMa students can – after successful completion – earn a certificate. However, 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. More information. The study load for this activity is the equivalent of 6 ECTS.

Primary target group

PhD students

Application/registration deadline

Registration closed

About the topic

Scientific research and emerging technologies raise a plethora of philosophical and societal issues. Besides practical, bioethical and policy issues, they have broader, cultural implications as well, affecting and reflecting our zeitgeist and world-view, challenging our understanding of life, nature and ourselves as human beings, and reframing the human condition on a planetary scale. This course explores how to address these issues from a continental philosophical perspective, thereby offering a complementary approach to mainstream (analytical) philosophy of science or sociological approaches like STS. The focus is on methodology, on how to address philosophical and normative challenges in contemporary science and technology from a continental philosophical perspective. This course helps participants to bridge the gap between continental philosophy as it is often practiced in academic settings (focused on author studies) and what is required to actively contribute to the philosophical assessment of current developments in science and technology. How to practice a form of continental philosophy that moves beyond the author studies approach and actively contributes to on-going philosophical and scientific debates, on podiums such as international journals and academic conferences? We opt for a bottom-up perspective, starting from actual research projects and practices as philosophical laboratories. We focus on themes like: (a) the technicity of scientific research; (b) planet Earth during the Anthropocene, and (c) human responsibility in view of the increased plasticity or reproducibility of life.

Program

Concise schedule (detailed draft syllabus available upon request)

Approach                                      Extrapolation
Preparatory readings
Day 1 Continental philosophy A diagnostics of the present
Dialectics Power and agency in contemporary technoscience
Day 2 Phenomenology Technology during the Anthropocene
Post-phenomenology Continental philosophy and the empirical turn
Day 3 Hermeneutics Environmental philosophy: the historicity of nature
Process Philosophy Creativity, evolving systems and organic thinking
Day 4 Virtue ethics Responsibility
Day 5  Psychoanalysis  Technoscience, extimacy and discontent
Critical Philosophy Knowledge and power, technicity and autonomy
 Day 6 Choose your path Dialogues / further readings / Individual paper and supervision

Lecturers

Vincent Blok
Luca Consoli
Martin Drenthen
Laurens Landeweerd
Pieter Lemmens
Hub Zwart
Jochem Zwier

Costs

The course is free for members of the OZSW. For non-members, the participation fee is €250,-.

How to apply / register

Please register using this form.

Organizers

Vincent Blok
Hub Zwart

Contact info

Please contact Jochem Zwier (jochem.zwier@ru.nl) for questions pertaining to the content of the course. For practical inquiries, contact the OZSW secretariat (secretariaat@ozsw.nl).