The Simon Stevin series is a series in which PhD members of the 4TU.Centre for Ethics and Technology publish their dissertations.
This series in the philosophy and ethics of technology is named after the Dutch / Flemish natural philosopher, scientist and engineer Simon Stevin. He was an extraordinarily versatile person. He published, among other things, on arithmetic, accounting, geometry, mechanics, hydrostatics, astronomy, theory of measurement, civil engineering, the theory of music, and civil citizenship. He wrote the very first treatise on logic in Dutch, which he considered to be a superior langage for scientific purposes. The relation between theory and practice is a main topic in his work. In addition to his theoretical publications, he held a large number of patents, and was actively involved as an engineer in the building of windmills, harbours, and fortifications for the Dutch prince Maurits. He is famous for having constructed large sailing carriages.
Little is known about his personal life. He was probably born in 1548 in Bruges (Flanders) and went to Leiden in 1581, where he took up his studies at the university two years later. His work was published between 1581 and 1617. He was an early defender of the Copernican worldview. He died in 1620, but the exact date and the place of his burial are unknown. Philosophically he was a pragmatic rationalist. For him, wonder about a phenomenon, however mysterious, should be the starting point for seeking understanding or even ultimate explanation through human reasoning. Hence the dictum ‘Wonder is no Wonder’ that he used on the cover of several of his books.
Publications in the Simon Stevin series
Volume 44: Sta Maria, J. "Confucian Philosophy for the Digital Good Life", 2025
Volume 43: Spier, S. "Rethinking Platform Technologies: Moral Values, Politics, and Radical Technologies", 2025
Volume 42: van der Puil, R.E. "Will democracy survive social media? Designing and regulating social media for democracy", 2025
Volume 41: Mollen, J. "Prototype Ethics: Foundations for the Research Ethics of Real-World Technology Research", 2025
Volume 40: Hannes, T. "What do We Call the World? A Plea for Developing an Anthropocene Morality Based on a Non-Axial Rereading of Buddhism", 2025
Volume 39: Friedman, C. "The Ethics of Humanoid Robots", 2025
Volume 38: van Uffelen, N. "Reconceptualizing Energy Justice in the light of Normative Uncertainties", 2025
Volume 37: Maas, J. "Freedom in the Digital Age: Designing for Non-Domination", 2025
Volume 36: Gwagwa, A. "Re-imagining African Unity in a Digitally Interdependent World", 2024
Volume 35: Ley, M. "It's not (just) about the robots: care and carelessness across an automated supply chain", 2024
Volume 34: Hofbauer, B. "Governing Prometheus. Ethical Reflections On Risk & Uncertainty In Solar Climate Engineering Research", 2024
Volume 33: Loosman, I. "Rethinking Informed Consent in mHealth", 2024
Volume 32: Bollen, C.J.M. "Empathy 2.0: What it means to be empathetic in a diverse and digital world", 2024
Volume 31: Asgarinia, H. "Privacy and machine learning-based artificial intelligence: Philosophical, legal, and technical investigations", 2024
Volume 30: Rossmaier, L.W.S. "mHealth Apps and Structural Injustice", 2024
Volume 29: Wiarda, M. "Responsible Innovation for Wicked Societal Challenges: An Exploration of Strenths and Limitations", 2023
Volume 28: Cañizares Gaztelu, J.C. "Normativity and Justice in Resillience Strategies", 2023
Volume 27: Waelen, R.A. "The Power of Computer Vision. A Critical Analysis", 2023
Volume 26: Gurzawska, A. "Responsible Innovation in Business: A Framework and Strategic Proposal", 2023
Volume 25: Arora, C. "Responsibilities in a Datafied Health Environment", 2022
Volume 24: Kudlek, K., "The Ethical Analysis of Moral Bioenhancement: Theoretical and Normative Perspectives", 2022
Volume 23: Astola, M., "Collective Virtues: A Response to Mandevillian Morality", 2022
Volume 22: Baş, M., "Technological Mediation of Politics: An Arendtian Critique of Political Philosophy of Technology", 2022
Volume 21: Jacobs, N., "Values and Capabilities: Ethics by Design for Vulnerable People", 2021
Volume 20: Bruynseels, K., "Responsible Innovation in Data-Driven Biotechnology", 2021
Volume 19: Lanzing, M., "The Transparent Self: a Normative Investigation of Changing Selves and Relationships in the Age of the Quantified Self", 2019
Volume 18: Hung, C., "Design for Green: Ethics and Politics for Behavior-Steering Technology", 2019
Volume 17: Zweistra, C.A., "Closing the Empathy Gap: Technology, Ethics, and the Other", 2019
Volume 16: Stone, T.W., "Designing for Darkness: Urban Nighttime Lighting and Environmental Values", 2019
Volume 15: Smids, J., "Persuasive Technology, Allocation of Control, and Mobility. An Ethical Analysis", 2018
Volume 14: Bergen, J., "Reflections on the Reversibility of Nuclear Energy Technologies", 2017
Volume 13: Spruit, S., "Managing the uncertain risks of nanoparticles. Aligning responsibility and relationships", 2017
Volume 12: Robaey, Z.H., "Seeding Moral Responsibility in Ownership. How to Deal with Uncertain Risks of GMOs", 2016
Volume 11: Bakx, G.C.H., "Safety in large-scale socio-technological systems: insights gained from a series of military systems studies", 2016
Volume 10: Sattarov, F.F., "Technology and Power in a Globalising World: A Political Philosophical Analysis", 2015
Volume 9: van Burken, C., "Moral Decision Making in Network Enabled Operations", 2014
Volume 8: Oosterlaken, I., "Taking a Capability Approach to Technology and Its Design: A Philosophical Exploration", 2013
Volume 7: Doorn, N., "Moral Responsibility in R&D Networks", 2011
Volume 6: Schuurbiers, D., "Social Responsibility in Research Practice", 2010
Volume 5: Taebi, B., "Nuclear Power and Justice between Generations", 2010
Volume 4: Manders-Huits, N., "Designing for Moral Identity in Information Technology", 2010
Volume 3: Valkenburg, G., "Politics by all means", 2009
Volume 2: Derksen, M.-H., "Engineering Flesh", 2008
Volume 1: Asveld, L., "Respect for Autonomy and Technological Risks", 2008