The Empirical Methods for Philosophy of Technology course will give the students an introduction to the subject, why the students may want to consider it in their research and discuss a range of pitfalls that may lie in pursuing this line of work. Additionally, the course will introduce the students to a range of approaches that can be broadly affiliated with doing empirical philosophy, such as Interviewing, Focus Groups, Philosophy through Artistic Intervention, Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, Foresight Studies and others.

The primary aim of this course is to introduce students to classic themes, concepts and authors in ethics and philosophy of technology via a selection of key academic articles.

This is the second PhD school organised by the “Ethics of Socially Disruptive Technologies” (ESDiT) consortium, in collaboration with 4TUethics and the OZSW. The course engages with debates about conceptual engineering in the context of socially disruptive technologies, analysing ways in which socio-technical change can disrupt conceptual schemes. We will look at theoretical debates as well as concrete case-studies. Various senior researchers from the ESDiT consortium will participate as instructors.

Technology shapes how we live, work, and relate to one another. It holds great promise for enhancing human well-being—improving health, safety, connection, and comfort—yet it can also create new forms of stress, inequality, and harm. 

This course focuses on present-day and particularly continental philosophical approaches to technology and science. The course consists of 12 sessions (±150mins), with sessions centering around authors (e.g. Heidegger, Simondon, Stiegler), and other sessions being more thematic (e.g. Synthetic Cell, AI, Anthropocene). Confirmed lecturers are:

Moral philosophy before the mid-Twentieth Century developed under the implicit assumption that outcomes could be treated as determinate. Risks and probabilities, when mentioned, were treated as a side issue. By contrast, our current understanding of agency and causation is probabilistic and foregrounds issues of uncertainty. In addition, there is significant attention to the disruption surrounding fast-paced societal and technological change. Moral philosophy, epistemology, and applied ethics have adapted to this understanding, but the philosophical issues are far from settled. This is an exciting area of philosophical and interdisciplinary research.

The retreat offers a unique opportunity to break away from the distractions of university life and immerse yourself in focused, productive writing time, all while enjoying the calming surroundings of nature and the support of fellow PhD students. You’ll have uninterrupted time to focus on your writing while being guided by an experienced writing coach, dr. Udo Pesch, who will help you develop strategies to move past common challenges and will also be available for one-on-one sessions. While the daytime hours are dedicated to intensive writing, the evenings will feature fun and relaxing activities designed to help you recharge and enjoy the company of other colleagues.

The aim is to get a firm understanding of the operational principles, design, and use of AI systems. To become able to understand, articulate, and offer contributions to the philosophy and ethics of contemporary AI.