UTwente Philosophy

🚨 Tonight! 🚨

UT Philosophy professor Jan Peter Bergen giving a Masterclass on Ethics & Public Values

Interested in Lifelong Learning?

The Philosophy section at the University of Twente offers a range of classes, workshops and courses for learners who are interested in philosophy but do not wish to study for a full degree.

Find out more: www.utwente.nl/en/bms/phil/...

Philofilm screening of Desk Set with UT philosophy professor Nolen Gertz The next Philofilm at Concordia Film Theatre will be UT philosophy professor Nolen Gertz presenting the 1957 Hepburn & Tracy computer-centric romantic comedy Desk Set:

Philofilm screening on October 6 of Desk Set (1957) with UT philosophy professor Nolen Gertz:
www.utwente.nl/en/bms/phil/...

Alumni Talks: Student lunch lecture with Johnny Søraker – AI Governance Lead bij Google | I'm a student/graduate | SGW UT'ers making global impact come back to campus to share their stories How do you achieve your dream? A dream that shapes a development in the future? On Friday 3 October 2025, three inspiring alumni ...

Former UT philosophy professor and current lead AI ethicist at Google, Johnny Søraker, will be back on campus October 3rd to give a lunch lecture on how to responsibly develop and deploy AI:
www.utwente.nl/en/sgw/suppo...

Our next Tech Values colloquium will take place on Thursday October 9th from 15:45 to 17:30. Linde Franken will be presenting a paper titled "Towards an animal-friendly energy transition: a frame... Our next Tech Values colloquium will take place on Thursday October 9th from 15:45 to 17:30. Linde Franken will be presenting a paper titled "Towards an animal-friendly energy transition: a framework ...

Our next Tech Values colloquium will take place on Thursday October 9th from 15:45 to 17:30. Linde Franken will be presenting a paper titled "Towards an animal-friendly energy transition: a framework for interspecies cosmopolitan justice":
www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...

UT philosophy professor Adam Henschke publishes new article on human enhancement and veterans Dr. Adam Henschke, Assistant Professor at the Philosophy Section of the University of Twente, has recently published a new article entitled "From Enhancement To Disenhancement To De-Enhancement: Insti...

UT philosophy professor Adam Henschke publishes new article on human enhancement and veterans:
www.utwente.nl/en/bms/phil/...

UT philosophy professor Nolen Gertz interviewed by Canadian radio about nihilism and terrorism Nolen Gertz, Associate Professor of Applied Philosophy at the University of Twente, was interviewed last week by CBC Radio to answer the question "What's behind the rise of techno-nihilism?"

UT philosophy professor Nolen Gertz interviewed by Canadian radio about nihilism and terrorism:
www.utwente.nl/en/bms/phil/...

Today! 👇👇👇

On my way to Leiden to talk about AI ideology (tonight), cyborg dystopia (tomorrow night), and AI propaganda (Saturday night). Should be a fun birthday weekend...

UT philosophy PhD candidate Patty Reyes to give talk at Gogbot festival on social media mobilization Patty Reyes, Philosophy PhD candidate at the University of Twente, will be speaking at the Gogbot Festival in Enschede on 20 September 2025 on the topic "Mobilizing in a Post-Social Media Era":

UT philosophy PhD candidate Patty Reyes (@blackholeness.bsky.social) to give talk at Gogbot Festival on social media mobilization:
www.utwente.nl/en/bms/phil/...

UT philosophy professor Julia Hermann to speak at Royal Institute of Philosophy (UK) event on moral progress Julia Hermann, Assistant Professor of Philosophy at the University of Twente, will be one of the panelists at the UK's Royal Institute of Philosophy symposia in London on October 30th on the topic "Ha...

UT philosophy professor Julia Hermann to speak at Royal Institute of Philosophy (UK) event on moral progress:
www.utwente.nl/en/bms/phil/...

I'm back in actionnn this Saturday at the #GOGBOT festival, and in collaboration with @sickhouse-nl.bsky.social; I'll be hosting a talk/discussion about mobilizing for political action without social media. (is it even possible?! 🥴 Let's talk about it!)

+ info: www.gogbot.nl/symposium/mo...

Returning to Church Won’t Save Us from Nihilism Engaging in ritual for ritual’s sake only deepens nihilism.

New article by me for @mitpress.bsky.social on the rise of "Nihilistic Violent Extremists" and why David Brooks is wrong to think that Church and "believing in belief" is the solution to nihilism rather than recognizing such empty rituals as the cause...
thereader.mitpress.mit.edu/returning-to...

As John Hardy (@csu.edu.au) and Adam Henschke (@utwentephilosophy.bsky.social) note, the former is more aggressive and overt, but the latter is more insidious, relying on the politics of respectability and
ris.utwente.nl/ws/portalfil...

Philofilm screening of Desk Set with UT philosophy professor Nolen Gertz The next Philofilm at Concordia Film Theatre will be UT philosophy professor Nolen Gertz presenting the 1957 Hepburn & Tracy computer-centric romantic comedy Desk Set:

Philofilm screening on October 6 of Desk Set (1957) with UT philosophy professor Nolen Gertz:
www.utwente.nl/en/bms/phil/...

For the next Tech Values colloquium, Elisa Paiusco will present a paper titled "Recognition in Climate Justice: Lessons from land-based Carbon Dioxide Removal". The colloquium will take plac... For the next Tech Values colloquium, Elisa Paiusco will present a paper titled "Recognition in Climate Justice: Lessons from land-based Carbon Dioxide Removal". The colloquium will take place on Thurs...

For our next Tech Values colloquium, UT PhD candidate Elisa Paiusco will present a paper titled "Recognition in Climate Justice: Lessons from land-based Carbon Dioxide Removal":
www.linkedin.com/posts/univer...

Philosophy Colloquium Lecture - 18 September 1545-1730 - Maren Behrensen University of Twente Philosophy Lectures 2025-2026

University of Twente Philosophy Lectures 2025-2026

18 September 2025, 15:45-17:30, LA2310

Maren Behrensen
Assistant Professor of Philosophy
University of Twente

Title: "Who’s Afraid of Cognitive Warfare?"
www.utwente.nl/en/bms/phil/...

It is our pleasure to invite you to the Philosophy of Science in Practice Colloquium talk that will be delivered by Professor Samuel C. Fletcher (in person) on September 4th at 15:45-17:30 in RA2504.…... It is our pleasure to invite you to the Philosophy of Science in Practice Colloquium talk that will be delivered by Professor Samuel C. Fletcher (in person) on September 4th at 15:45-17:30 in RA2504. ...

It is our pleasure to invite you to the Philosophy of Science in Practice Colloquium talk that will be delivered by Professor Samuel C. Fletcher (in person) on September 4th at 15:45-17:30 in RA2504 on "Quantum Biology":
www.linkedin.com/posts/univer...

Fantastic piece by Nolen Gertz (@ethicistforhire.bsky.social) on chatbots, love, and on how to frame questions concerning human-AI relationships 👇👇

#philsky

On my way to #Utwente to welcome the new students of our #MSc #Philosophy of #Science , #Technolog and #Society ( #PSTS ). Yes, we start early here in the Netherlands! @philtech.bsky.social

AI intimacy and the end of love | Nolen Gertz

My latest article, on AI chatbots and why we must make sure we're asking the right questions about people falling in love with them...
iai.tv/articles/ai-...

ROBOCOP LIFF X DAYS OF ARTS & SCIENCE

UT philosophy professor Nolen Gertz to give talks on AI movies, RoboCop, and AI ethics in Leiden in September:
www.utwente.nl/en/bms/phil/...

PSTS alumnus Leonardo Werner, together with UT philosophy professors Philip Brey and Adam Henschke, has published a new article in the journal Virtual Reality titled "Augmented reality and ethics: key issues":
www.utwente.nl/en/bms/phil/...

AI intimacy and the end of love | Nolen Gertz

Are we asking the wrong question about loving chatbots? | iai.tv/articles/ai-...

Nolen Gertz argues that fixating on whether AI romance is “real” hides the costs that make it possible, from mass data extraction and invisible moderation work to water- and energy-hungry data centers.

#AI #techsky

I'm doing a screening of Robocop in Leiden for my birthday this year 🥳🥳🥳
www.eventbrite.nl/e/tickets-li...

Nihilism and Nazism: On Rauschning’s The Revolution of Nihilism Nolen Gertz ORCID logo EMAIL logo Published/Copyright: August 20, 2025 Abstract This article is an investigation into Hermann Rauschning’s 1939 book The Revolution of Nihilism: Warning to the West in which he claims that the Nazis should be viewed, not as driven by ideology, but as driven by nihilism. According to Rauschning, who was himself a former official in the Nazi Party, the Nazis had no goal or purpose other than to seek destruction for the sake of destruction, and thus were nihilists. As this view goes against both the standard understanding of Nazism (as driven by racist and nationalist ideologies) and of nihilism (as individualistic rather than political), this paper first investigates Rauschning’s arguments and then compares them against the analysis of Nazism offered by Hannah Arendt. Contrary to Rauschning, Arendt argues that Nazism was driven by a very specific racial ideology and she thus warns against viewing the Nazis as nihilists. By comparing and contrasting the arguments of Rauschning and of Arendt, this paper concludes by offering a better understanding of Nazism and of nihilism. Keywords: nihilism; Nazism; Rauschning; Arendt; Beauvoir

My article on "Nihilism and Nazism" has just been published 🥳🥳🥳

I know it's not terribly relevant to anything going on in the world, but maybe people would still find it interesting...
www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi...

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...