Just published in Social Studies of Science: “Understanding science-in-the-making by letting scientific instruments speak: From semiotics to postphenomenology”, with Bas de Boer and Hedwig te Molder. On the role of technological instruments in scientific practice and the relations between postphenomenology and Science Studies.
New publication: Societal Values in Digital Innovation – the results of the 2019 Thinkers’ Program of the Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium for Science and the Arts. On connecting societal values to digital technologies. With essays on ‘The search for a good digital life. Put people and values at the heart of digital innovation’ (Rinie van Est); ‘Technological Citizenship and the Ethical Guidance of Digitalisation’ (Peter-Paul Verbeek); and ‘Societal Values in Digital Innovation – A Technologist’s Perspective’ (Jan Rabaey). The Dutch version can be found here.
December 1–5, 2020, 3 to 6 pm: conference ‘Materiality and Agency: Anthropological, Archaeological, and Philosophical Perspectives’, University of Cologne (Organizers: Thiemo Breyer & Niklas Grouls)
The conference reflects upon materiality and agency as two interrelated concepts in the study of human development, culture, and cognition. It provides a platform for critically assessing and evaluating crucial terminologies and notions in the fields of philosophy, anthropology, and archaeology. Whereas archaeology depends on material remains of past societies, on the basis of which patterns of agency can be reconstructed, anthropology investigates the observable agency of individuals and groups in their cultural embedding. One important aspect of such anthropological inquiry is the interconnection of human activity with the environment and material objects. Insofar as human agency responds to ecological demands and utilizes materiality to form cultural artefacts, both concepts – agency and materiality – can be regarded as correlates on a theoretical level. More information: https://www.sfb806.uni-koeln.de/index.php/42-news/latest/989-materiality-and-agency-anthropological-archaeological-and-philosophical-perspectives
Het is al jaren onrustig aan de Nederlandse universiteiten. Daarom hebben drie hoogleraren onlangs een pamflet ’40 stellingen over de wetenschap’ gepubliceerd, waarin ze inhoudelijke stelling nemen over wat een universiteit zou moeten zijn. Zij pleiten voor een andere en betere financiering van universiteiten en een democratischer intern bestuur. In dit webinar gaan de auteurs van het pamflet in gesprek met kernspelers uit het Nederlandse universitaire veld. Sprekers zijn:
Meer informatie: https://knaw.nl/nl/actueel/agenda/wat-hebben-de-universiteiten-nodig
On November 24 2020, the French sociologist and philosopher Bruno Latour (1949) will be awarded the Spinozalens 2020 by Mayor of Amsterdam Femke Halsema. The evening is organised by the International Spinozaprijs Foundation, the Embassy of the North Sea and Felix Meritis and can be followed via livestream. Part of the program is an interview by Dutch author Bas Heijne, fueled by questions that international thinkers Donna Haraway, Chantal Mouffe and Peter Paul Verbeek have prepared specifically for this occasion. After the presentation of the Spinozalens by Mayor Halsema, Latour will give a short acceptance speech. More information: https://felixmeritis.nl/programma/award-ceremony-spinozalens-2020-bruno-latour/
De werkgroep Maatschappelijke Acceptatie en Inclusie van de Nederlandse AI Coalitie heeft een manifest uitgebracht over mensgerichte AI. Het is tijd om deze unieke kracht van Nederland optimaal te benutten voor mensgerichte Artificiële Intelligentie. Wat hierin de uitdagingen zijn en hoe we dit met alle partijen in de ‘quadrupel helix’ (overheid, bedrijfsleven, wetenschap en inwoners van Nederland) kunnen doen, staat beschreven in het Manifest ‘Mensgerichte Artificiële Intelligentie: Een oproep voor zinvolle en verantwoorde toepassingen’.
On 20 November 2020, the University of Twente’s Citizen Science conference is taking place. With the theme ‘Let’s go together: Shaping Citizen Science in the Netherlands’, it is our ambition to join forces with all those that are interested or involved in Citizen Science: be it students, researchers or citizens, from the Twente region, from other parts of the Netherlands and also abroad. More information: https://www.utwente.nl/en/designlab/events/2020/11/785921/citizen-science-conference
November 17, I will moderate the annual TEKNOWLOGY festival, organised by the Engineering and Applied Sciences division of the Dutch Research Council. With contributions from Cees Snoek, Pieter Roelfsema, Nick Ramsey, Jens Naumann, Karin Jongsma, and Tjisse van der Heide. At the end of the event, the winners of the Open Minds competition will be announced. More information: https://www.nwo.nl/en/meetings/teknowlogy-nwo-innovation-festival
The English version of our ‘Guidance Ethics Approach’ is now available for download. This approach, that was developed with the working group on Ethics and Digitalization of ECP | Platform for the Information Society, offers concrete ethical guidance for the design, implementation and use of technologies. You can download the (free) publication here: https://ppverbeek.files.wordpress.com/2020/11/guidance-ethics-approach-1.pdf. An inlay summarising the steps to be taken in the approach can be found here: https://ppverbeek.files.wordpress.com/2020/11/guidance-ethics-insert-1.pdf
Nov 8, there will be a High-Level Dialogue Panel on Scientific Ethics and Science Culture at the 2nd World Forum on Science and Technology Development (WFEO). I will contribute with a perspective from the UNESCO World Commission on the Ethics of Science and Technology (COMEST) and the UNESCO Ad Hoc Expert Group on AI Ethics. More information: http://www.wfeo.org/event/2nd-world-forum-on-science-and-technology-development/
