UTwente Philosophy

UT philosophy professor Mieke Boon's consortia granted 6.8 million euros for project on democratizing AI:
www.utwente.nl/en/bms/phil/...

UT philosophy professor Adam Henschke co-authors new article on digital twins and environmental governance Adam Henschke, Assistant Professor of Philosophy at the University of Twente, has co-authored a new article published in Earth System Governance entitled: "Cyber-governance of the natural world the im...

UT philosophy professor Adam Henschke co-authors new article on digital twins and environmental governance:
www.utwente.nl/en/bms/phil/...

UT philosophy PhD Siri Beerends has helped to construct a Facebook Museum in Utrecht Central Station Siri Beerends, external PhD in Philosophy at the University of Twente, has worked with her colleagues at SETUP to open "the world's first Facebook Museum," which is now open at Utrecht Central Station...

UT Philosophy PhD Siri Beerends has helped to construct a Facebook Museum in Utrecht Central Station:
www.utwente.nl/en/bms/phil/...

People at the desk in front of a video screen at the Facebook Museum

One of my former @utwentephilosophy.bsky.social PSTS students is working the desk and he told me that people don't always get the satire and so come in to ask them FB customer support questions...

Facebook Museum at Track 20 of Utrecht CS

museum In beheer van Stichting Facebook Museum Een initiatief van SETUN Mede mogelijk gemaakt door stimuleringsfonds creatieve industrie Gemeente Utrecht SIDN fonds het Cultuurfonds Wire Mathibue Ekfheinfonds Welkom in het eerste Facebook Museum ter wereld Facebox was 15 jaar geleden online dé plek waar jeest zijn. Maar tijden veranderen. Ooit za Facbook verdwijnen. Daarom verzamelt en bewaart lichting Facebook Museum alvast de Belangrijkste herinneringen. Facebook een spiegel van wie wij zijn. We zien er onze gode én slechte eigenschappen in terug. Onze gulleid, empathie en enthousiasme, maar ook onz kleinzerigheid, gulzigheid en ijdelheid. Homuseum is een plek om samen stil te staan Wiet nalatenschap van dit sociale medium. Om zo op een waardige manier afscheid te nemen. En daar hebben we jou

Neem gratis mee! Artikel Sociale media zijn massaal toxisch verklaard, tijd voor een waardig afscheid

Heerlijke nieuwe wereld In zijn boek Nihilism & Technology beschrijft techniekfilosoof Nolen Gertz dat onze huidige digitale technologieën niet alleen het product zijn van big tech, maar ook van onze eigen nihilistische verlangens om de moeilijke kanten van het menszijn te vermijden met technologie. Denk bijvoorbeeld aan het vermijden van frictie en face-to-face confrontaties. In plaats van ons af te vragen "wat technologie de mensheid aandoet" (passief), moeten we ons afvragen wat de mensheid technologie aandoet (actief). Op deze manier reduceer je mensen niet tot weerloze slachtoffers van big tech, maar worden zij medevormgever van hun relatie met technologie. Reering kan daarin een rol spelen, net zoals een minder ve vend ontwerp van onze digitale wereld. Maar het is gerlijk om te denken dat dit zal leiden tot een heerlijke nieuwe wereld. Zo zien we bij regulering het probleem dat het kan leiden tot onwenselijke massasurveillance. Een voorbeeld is Australië, waar de roep om een leeftijdsgrens voor sociale media leidt tot overheden die hun burgers onderwerpen aan ingrijpende surveillancetechnieken, zoals het scannen van je gezicht of het uploaden van je paspoort om je leeftijd te controleren.7 C D W da di VO Mi on ZO nih met toxi Vo Zo

New project from my PhD Siri Beerends and her colleagues at Setup NL is a "Facebook Museum" at Utrecht Central Station...

UT philosophy professor Maren Behrensen has published a new essay on tech oligarchs and natalism Maren Behrensen, Assistant Professor of Philosophy at the University of Twente, has just published a new essay titled "Tech Oligarchs and the Rise of Silicon Valley Pronatalism" in Tech Policy Press.

UT philosophy professor Maren Behrensen has published a new essay on tech oligarchs and natalism:
www.utwente.nl/en/bms/phil/...

Philosophy professor Philip Brey has published a new book on the Metaverse Philip Brey, Professor of Philosophy and Ethics of Technology at the University of Twente, has just published a new book with Springer titled The Metaverse: A Critical Assessment.

Philip Brey, Professor of Philosophy and Ethics of Technology at the University of Twente, has just published a new book with Springer titled The Metaverse: A Critical Assessment:
www.utwente.nl/en/bms/phil/...

Techsploitation Cinema: How Movies Shaped Our Technological World On Thursday, July 3rd, 12:00 IST, the EUt+ and friends will be joined online by Dr. Nolen Gertz, Associate Professor of Applied Philosophy at the University of Twente, who will deliver a webinar on th...

Today's lecture...
www.tudublin.ie/explore/even...

University of Twente Philosophy Professor Philip Brey's new book "The Metaverse: A Critical Assessment" is now available (with discount code):
link.springer.com/book/10.1007...

Lecture hall full of conference attendees at the University of Twente

Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg & Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam Draft 07/2025 1. Background: Al as methodological opportunity for I philosophy offers for philosophy fers an additional method to philosophers . Examples of Al Philosophy avant la lettre..... 3 2. Al 4. Characterisation of the method (process how ow it works) 5. Motivations (reasons why this works) Objections 6.1. Are you saying that application of philosophy to Al is 6.1. pointless? 6.2. Are you saying that philosophical questions can be solved by empirical or engineering research? 6.3. Do I need to know much Al to do this? 6.4. Is this not just one more thought experiment! 6.5. Is there more to this than the old slogan "if y derstand it, build it"? "if you want to un 6.6. Do I need to buy into conceptual engineering to us to use this 6.7. Are you claiming that everyone should do Al Phi Philosophy now? 6.8. Is this in danger to lead to a new discipline that splits off from philosophy, as psychology or physics did? 7. Conclusion References 8. @@@Material

Made it back to @utwentephilosophy.bsky.social in time for Vincent Müller's IACAP keynote "AI Philosophy: Using AI as Philosophical Method"...
iacapconf.org/pages/schedule

Now they tell us!! Highly recommended, in the unlikely event you’re in the Low Countries with three days free RIGHT NOW.

Joint IACAP/AISB Conference on Philosophy of Computing and AI (IACAP/AISB-25) The International Association for Computing and Philosophy (IACAP) and the Society for the Study of Artificial Intelligence and Simulation of Behaviour (AISB) will host a joint conference at the Unive...

From July 1-3, the University of Twente will host the joint conference of the The International Association for Computing and Philosophy (IACAP) and the Society for the Study of Artificial Intelligence and Simulation of Behaviour (AISB):
www.utwente.nl/en/bms/phil/...

Thanks I'll be giving the talk again next week online:
www.tudublin.ie/explore/even...

Me in front of my slide for my talk on my new book "The Technological Unconscious"

Had a great time at #SPT2025. Thanks to everyone who made it to my talk and for the great questions afterwards...

Final #spt2025 session of the day, starting with @ethicistforhire.bsky.social on #philtech and movies!

Today at 1720 in Auditorium 1...
#SPT2025
www.conftool.pro/spt2025/inde...

UT philosophers Bas de Boer, Ciano Aydin, Luca Possati, and Maaike van der Horst presenting at #SPT2025 on psychoanalysis and technology:

Currently in a session of #SPT2025 on intercultural #philtech: what is it? What does it do? What needs to be done? @esdit.bsky.social

At 1700 in the Blauwe Zaal there will be a symposium featuring UT philosophers Maaike van der Horst, Luca Possati, Bas de Boer, and Ciano Aydin on "Uncanny desires: AI, psychoanalysis, and the future of human identity":
www.conftool.pro/spt2025/inde...
#SPT2025

University of Twente Philosophy is well represented at the #SPT2025 Conference in Eindhoven this week:

Techsploitation cinema: how movies shaped our technological world Nolen Gertz University of Twente There is clearly an audience for movies about machines, for movies where flesh and blood has been replaced by metal and circuitry. So the question that I want to ask in this project is: Why?Why does this audience exist? Why do people want to see movies about humans fighting robots (Terminator), about robots fighting robots (Terminator 2), about robots fighting to protect humans so they can grow up to fight robots (Terminator 3)? If these movies are indeed exploiting the audience's desires, then what are the desires that are being exploited in these movies? If a traditional sexploitation movie is about offering audiences a way to watch pornographic sex scenes surrounded by just enough plot to avoid the accusation of being a pervert, and if a traditional blaxsploitation movie is about offering audiences a way to watch racist stereotypes surrounded by just enough plot to avoid the accusation of being a racist, then what is it that a "techsploitation" movie would be offering audiences? To answer these questions, this project will explore the movies that I have already identified and many, many others that similarly seem to cater to audiences who want nothing more than to see machines try to kill humans (e.g., Westworld), machines try to enslave humans (e.g., The Matrix), and machines try to become humans (e.g., Demon Seed). This exploration though won't just be about investigating the technological world of cinema, but also about investigating the technological world in which we live. For just as exploring sexploitation movies and blaxploitation movies have helped us to better understand gender dynamics and racial dynamics at play in society, I believe that exploring techsploitation movies will likewise help us to better understand the dynamics at play in society in the relationship between humanity and technology. Session Details: (Papers) Philosophy of technology III…

On my way to Eindhoven for #SPT2025...
www.conftool.pro/spt2025/inde...

Just a brief reminder that Dutch students can still sign up for our exciting #MSc #Philosophy of #Science #Technology and #Society . Why wait? Send us your brilliant students and get them started in 2025/26 :) www.utwente.nl/en/education...

For tomorrow's Tech Values colloquium, Nynke van Uffelen will present a… | University of Twente Philosophy Section For tomorrow's Tech Values colloquium, Nynke van Uffelen will present a paper titled "Local participation in energy decision-making: Holy grail or epic fail?". The colloquium will take p...

For our next Tech Values colloquium, Nynke van Uffelen will present a paper titled "Local participation in energy decision-making: Holy grail or epic fail?".
www.linkedin.com/posts/univer...

It is our pleasure to invite you to the Philosophy of Science in… | University of Twente Philosophy Section It is our pleasure to invite you to the Philosophy of Science in Practice colloquium (online) talk that will be delivered by Barbara Osimani on June 5 in RA4231 at 15:45-17:30. Title: Statistics and ...

It is our pleasure to invite you to the next Philosophy of Science in Practice colloquium (online) talk that will be delivered by Barbara Osimani on June 5 in RA4231 at 15:45-17:30.

Title: Statistics and Persuasion in Medicine
www.linkedin.com/posts/univer...

Philosophy Colloquium Lecture - 19 June 1545-1730 - Bas de Boer University of Twente Philosophy Lectures 2024-2025

University of Twente Philosophy Lectures 2024-2025

19 June 2025, 15:45-17:30

Bas de Boer
Assistant Professor for Philosophy of Technoscience
University of Twente

"Personalised Medicine and the Embodied Experience of Health"
www.utwente.nl/en/bms/phil/...

UT philosophy professors in the news Naomi Jacobs, Assistant Professor in Bioethics at the University of Twente, was interviewed by The Washington Post this past weekend for an article about the "femtech" industry. Here is an excerpt:

UT philosophy professors in the news:
www.utwente.nl/en/bms/phil/...

I see so much research of the form ‘LLMs are not very good at X, how can we integrate another technique T to make LLMs better at X?’ Where my question would be: why even start from LLMs in the first place?! There often seems hardly a convincing argument for it.

This shifting relationship between humans and batteries can be understood through the lens of philosophical frameworks examining technological mediation. Don Ihde’s phenomenological approach offers essential groundwork with his four types of technology-human relations: embodiment, hermeneutic, alterity, and background relations [3]. Each articulates different ways technologies mediate our experience of the world and ourselves. Building upon Ihde’s typology, Nolen Gertz introduces the concept of “nihilism relations,” which he formalizes as: Technology → World – (–I) [4]. In nihilism relations, we permit technology to mediate our world in such a way that our own agency recedes from concern. According to Gertz, “Whereas in alterity relations the world fades from our concern, and in background relations the technology fades from our concern, in nihilism relations the I fades from our concern.”[4] (p.55) In other words, we are not only using technologies unconsciously but unconsciously using technologies to absolve ourselves of the agency. Our will and critical awareness recede, allowing technology to direct our experience. Our relationship with batteries reveals a subtle shift toward “nihilism relations.” It is not uncommon to hear complaints like “My phone died on me” and “my laptop barely made it through the day,” as if the users had no agency in the battery’s depletion. The battery ostensibly operates in the background, yet when users consistently displace their concerns onto it, the “I” is being written out of the narrative.

Nothing more gratifying than seeing your work being put to use by others...
www.4tu.nl/ethics/blog/...
#NihilismAndTechnology

Change My Mind meme that reads "The role of the university is to resist AI'"

danmcquillan.org/cpct_abstrac...