Call for Papers – Deadline February 15, 2012
1st International Conference of the Society for the
Ethics and Politics of Emerging Technologies (EPET)
Imagining Techno-Moral Change
July 2-4, 2012
Maastricht University, the Netherlands
Keynote speakers:
Wiebe Bijker (Maastricht University)
Annemarie Mol (University of Amsterdam)
Colin Milburn (UC Davis)
epet2012@maastrichtuniversity.nl
www.maastrichtuniversity.nl/epet2012
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From Monday evening July 2 to Wednesday evening July 4 2012 the first international conference of the Society for the Ethics and Politics of Emerging Technologies (EPET) will be held at Maastricht University, the Netherlands.
We invite contributions from scholars in the fields of philosophy, science and technology studies, and artists working on one of the four main themes of the conference.
PROGRAM
Technology is an important driver of change in today’s world, and the desirability of such change is a matter of concern in public debate and policy making. Whereas the influence of morality on technology is well acknowledged, the influence of technology on morality is much less considered. This conference aims to investigate the phenomenon of techno-moral change from a philosophical, historical and sociological perspective. Moreover, it explores how our capacity to imagine, and relate to, techno-moral change may be enhanced by the arts. Lastly, it will consider to what extent and how the phenomenon of techno-moral change should be taken into account in public debate on emerging technologies.
Contributions may focus on one of four themes:
1. Conceptualizing techno-moral change
2. Researching techno-moral change
3. Imagining techno-moral change
4. Governing techno-moral change
Ad 1. Conceptualizing techno-moral change
The first theme focuses on analytically or philosophically understanding the phenomenon of techno-moral change. What is moral change? How to define it? What concepts and models do we have to develop to describe moral change? And how to understand the interplay of moral and technological change? We welcome papers focusing on the (im)possibility of moral change and ethical change.
Ad 2. Researching techno-moral change
The second theme explores how and to what extent empirical philosophy, STS, Technology Assessment and scenario studies can be employed to anticipate possible techno-moral change. We welcome historical studies about cases and patterns of past techno-moral change, as well as empirical and philosophical studies of current examples. To what extent and how do technologies change social and cultural practices and values? And how are these technologies in turn constructed by them?
Ad 3. Imagining techno-moral change
The third theme addresses the question how the arts can support imagining techno-moral change. Here, artists, philosophers and art theorists are invited to explore how the arts have been addressing techno-moral change in the past, or how they believe art could (or should) address these issues in the future. All art forms can be included, such as the fine arts, theatre arts, new media arts, (interactive) performances, dance, film and literature.
Ad 4. Governing techno-moral change
The fourth theme deals with the policy implications of techno-moral change. To what extent can it be explored in advance, and how can such explorations be made relevant in the contexts of TA and anticipatory governance of emerging technologies?
SUBMISSION OF PAPERS
Authors should submit an electronic version of an extended abstract (total word count approximately 250-500 words). Final papers (if invited after the conference) must not exceed a total word count of 3500 words and an abstract of not more than 250 words. The submissions should be made electronically, as pdf, rtf or Word format.
Paper submission: epet2012@maastrichtuniversity.nl Deadline: February 15, 2012.
Selected papers will be brought together in an edited volume.
The organization committee consists of Tsjalling Swierstra (chair), Ties van de Werff, and Mijke van der Drift. (Maastricht University). Co-organizers are Marianne Boenink (University of Twente) and Simone van de Burg (University Medical Center Nijmegen)
The conference is made possible with the kind support of Maastricht Univeristy and Universiteitsfonds Limburg
VENUE
Maastricht is widely known as a city of history, culture, art, restaurants, luxury shopping and high-level interdisciplinary education. Maastricht is an ancient Roman city of some 120.000 inhabitants in the south of The Netherlands and has a beautiful medieval inner-city. Generally known as the venue of the Treaty of Maastricht and as “the balcony of Europe”, it has a distinctly international orientation. Located at the borders with Belgium and Germany, it caters to inhabitants from three European countries on a daily basis, both culturally and commercially.
This international orientation is also typical of Maastricht University in general, and the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASOS) in particular.
Maastricht easily reached by both train and car, and has an airport as well.
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