3TEP Workshop: Philosophy of Technology and the Environment
3TEP Overview
3TEP is short-hand for three departments (from three different universities) that work on the philosophy of technology and/or environmental philosophy -- so 3 departments on Technological and Environmental Philosophy. These three departments are the Division of Liberal Arts and International Studies at the Colorado School of Mines (CSM), the Department of Philosophy and Religion Studies at the University of North Texas (UNT), and the Department of Philosophy at the University of Twente (UT).
In 2008, this group was awarded a 60,000 Euro grant from the Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek (NWO). The grant is motivated by two simple observations and their implications. First, real-world problems, such as environmental degradation and cultural conflict, do not obey disciplinary boundaries. This means that insofar as knowledge is relevant for addressing and illuminating these problems it must be inter- or transdiscplinary. Second, real-world problems, though often driven by science and technology, are not themselves wholly technical in nature. They have philosophic (e.g., ethical, aesthetic) dimensions and indeed fundamentally hinge on questions about our values -- how to live rightly and well on a finite planet. This means that there is a need for philosophers to engage the world.
Building from these observations and implications, the purpose of this NWO grant is to explore the theory and practice of a problem-oriented, interdisciplinary approach to philosophy. As a topical focus for this task, the three departments are exploring issues at the interface of technology and the environment. The choice of topic is determined not only by the importance of these issues, but also by the existing strengths of the participating departments in these areas. Our hope is not only that philosophy of technology will inform environmental philosophy and vice versa. More ambitiously, our hope is that this interaction will generate insights about the roles that philosophers can play in framing, debating, and resolving environmental problems and other challenges that face contemporary society.
The grant is being implemented through a series of three workshops. After a preliminary workshop at UT, the first official workshop was held in April, 2009 at CSM. This May, 2010 workshop at UNT is the second in the series, and the last one will be held in the summer of 2011 at UT. Our deliverables include a joint website, pedagogical materials, and publications. This UNT workshop is primarily devoted to the publication of an edited volume that explores the relationships between environmental philosophy and the philosophy of technology.
Workshop Agenda
Wednesday May 197:00 Welcome dinner: Hannah's off-the-square, private room with a presentation on the Gulf of Mexico oil spill as an opportunity for field philosophy
Day 1: Thursday May 20
8:45 Shuttle to UNT
9:00 3TEP Past and Present: Opening Remarks (Briggle and Brey)
9:15 Verbeek paper. Commentators: Briggle, Vogel
10:15Break
10:30 Frodeman paper. Commentators: Mitcham, Boenink
11:30 Briggle paper. Commentators: Verbeek, Waelbers
12:30 Lunch
1:30 3TEP Future: The Future of Philosophy
Introduction, broader context (Boenink, Briggle, Frodeman)
Discussion of basic concept and draft prospectus
Identifying participants, establishing timeline, assigning commitments
3:15 Break
3:30 Callicott paper. Commentators: Figueroa, Boenink
4:30 Mitcham paper. Commentators: Klaver, Holbrook
5:30 Summing up
5:45 Pedi-cabs to the square for Twilight Tunes at 6:30
8:00 Dinner at Miguelitos
Day 2: Friday May 21
Breakfast on own/at hotel
8:45 Shuttle to UNT
9:00 Figueroa paper. Commentators: Verbeek, Waelbers
10:00 Brey paper. Commentators: Callicott, Kaplan
11:00 Break
11:15 Kaplan paper. Commentators: van Wynsberghe, Brey
12:15 Lunch
1:15 Klaver paper. Commentators: Briggle, Vogel
2:15 van Wynsberghe presentation. Robots, Values, and Practices of Care
2:45 Waelbers leads discussion on the web portal
3:15 Break
3:30 Vogel paper. Commentators: Frodeman, Verbeek
4:30 Holbrook paper. Commentators: Klaver, Waelbers
5:30 Wrapping up, looking ahead
7:00 Dinner at Andaman Thai Restaurant
Workshop Participants
Philip Brey, UT, p.a.e.brey@utwente.nl
Marianne Boenink, UT, m.boenink@gw.utwente.nl
Adam Briggle, UNT, adam.briggle@unt.edu
Baird Callicott, UNT, johnbaird.callicott@unt.edu
Robert Figueroa, UNT, robert.figueroa@unt.edu
Robert Frodeman, UNT, robert.frodeman@unt.edu
J. Britt Holbrook, UNT, britt.holbrook@unt.edu
David Kaplan, UNT, david.kaplan@unt.edu
Irene Klaver, UNT, irene.klaver@unt.edu
Carl Mitcham, CSM, cmitcham@mines.edu
Peter-Paul Verbeek, UT, p.p.c.c.verbeek@utwente.nl
Steven Vogel, Denison University, vogel@denison.edu
Katinka Waelbers, UT, k.waelbers@gw.utwente.nl
Aimee van Wynsberghe, UT, a.l.vanwynsberghe@utwente.nl