CFP: The History of the Philosophy of Technology

Call for Abstracts

Conference on the History of the Philosophy of Technology

October 28-30, 2024, Maastricht University, the Netherlands

The History of the Philosophy of Technology Working Group at Maastricht University invites submissions for its first conference on the History of the Philosophy of Technology. We define the philosophy of technology as a wide-ranging and comprehensive field of study that includes the philosophical study of particular technologies and the different ways that technology, more broadly, has been considered philosophically. We encourage and promote work that explores these aspects historically, expanding established narratives by mapping interactions between technology and philosophy across different epochs and cultures.

For our first conference, we invite papers on any topic related to the history of the philosophy of technology, and in particular we are interested in the following topics and themes:

·         The work of different thinkers about technology throughout history, both well-known and overlooked figures and narratives, including non-western traditions and narratives that engage with technology

·         Identifying and analyzing the cultural, social, political, and sociotechnical contexts that have shaped philosophical responses to technology, including historical responses to new and emerging technologies (cybernetics, automation, printing press, etc.)

·         Exploring the disciplines and intellectual traditions whose impacts can be traced across different philosophies of technology, including Science and Technology Studies (STS), the history of technology, critical theory, phenomenology, feminist philosophy, hermeneutics, and ecology, to name only a few.

·         Histories of different "schools" of philosophical thought about technology, for example French philosophy of technology, Japanese philosophy of technology, Dutch philosophy of technology

·         The empirical turn and other intellectual histories of the philosophy technology

·         Mapping the hidden philosophies of technology in the work of philosophers (e.g. Foucault, Arendt, Sloterdijk) and traditions whose work is not often associated with technology (e.g. German idealism, logical empiricism, existentialism, Lebensphilosophie)

·         Investigations of premodern philosophical perspectives on craftsmanship, artisanal knowledge, and their relevance to contemporary debates on technology

·         Investigations of historical conceptions of nature, the environment, and their entanglements with technology in philosophical discourses

·         Exploring the contributions of literature, art, design theory, architecture, and media theory/history towards a philosophy of technology

Please submit abstracts of 250-300 words + a short biography by Monday 13 May, 2024 to [email protected]. We are also interested in panels of 3-5 papers. We welcome submissions from scholars at all career stages. Notifications of acceptance and conference program will be sent out by early June 2024.  

If you have any questions, please contact either [email protected] or [email protected]

Keynotes

Dr. Federica Buongiorno (Florence)

Dr. Buongiorno is an assistant professor in theoretic philosophy and the phenomenology of technology at the University of Florence. She has published work on Italian phenomenology, media theory, Edmund Husserl's ideas about technology, and Bernard Stiegler's work. She is also the Italian translator of Byung-Chul Han's books.

Dr. Francois-Xavier Guchet (Compiègne)

Dr.Guchet is professor at the Université de technologie de Compiègne. He has written extensively across topics in the philosophy of technology, including work on Gilbert Simondon, Hans Jonas, and André Leroi-Gourhan. He also served as one of the editors for the book French Philosophy of Technology: Classical Readings and Contemporary Approaches (2018).