Advanced PhD course on Philosophy of Technology - Relating Technology to Ethics Politics and the Empirical through the Lenses of Postphenomenology and Critical Theory of Technology/Critical Constructivism+B9 (2025)

The course is fully booked! Please sign up at the waiting list. 

For inquiries regarding registration, cancellation or waiting list, please contact the PhD administration, phdcourses@adm.aau.dk.

Welcome to Advanced PhD course on Philosophy of Technology: Relating Technology to Ethics, Politics, and the Empirical through the Lenses of Postphenomenology and Critical Theory of Technology/Critical Constructivism (2025)

Description: During this course a secetion of existing literature on two central positions in philosophy of technology -- postphenomenology and critical theory / critical constructivism -- will be discussed and scutinized. Focus will be on how technologies inform our interpretation of the world, how technology nudge humans to do certain things, how technology is value-ladden and embedded in power structures and normative regimes, and how technologies might exclude vulnerable groups and individuals. Course literature will include a double special issue of Techné entitled "Critical Constructivism and Postphenomenology: Ethics, Politics, and the Empirical" (vol 24, issue 1/2) plus selected case studies applying one of these two positions in an analysis of a technology. Everyone who studies technology, technological implementation and technological innovation in a socio-technical perspective will benefit from the course's thorough discussions and comparison of these two central positions in philosophy of technology, and is a must for ph.d. scholars who in their research touch upon how technologies inform our interpretation of the world, how technology nudge humans to do certain things, how technology is value-ladden and embedded in power structures and normative regimes, how technology excludes vulnerable groups and individuals.

Prerequisites: The course is aimed towards ph.d. scholars working with technology in a socio-technical prespective. Disciplinary diversity is appreciate. Thus, no other disciplinary prerequisites will be enforced.

Learning objectives: 

- Knowledge about different philosophy of technology positions and their take on ethics, politics, sensemaking, and empirical work.

- Skills in choosing and linking philosophy of technology frameworks in / to own research.

- Competences in communicating philosophy of technology topics in an interdisciplinary environment.  

Organizer: Tom Børsen

Lecturers: Tom Børsen and Lars Botin

ECTS: 2.0

Time: 11 and 12 December 2025

Place: Aalborg University Copenhagen

Zip code: 2450

City: Copenhagen

Maximal number of participants: 15

Deadline: 20 November 2025

Important information concerning PhD courses: 

There is a no-show fee of DKK 3,000 for each course where the student does not show up. Cancellations are accepted no later than 2 weeks before the start of the course. Registered illness is of course an acceptable reason for not showing up on those days. Furthermore, all courses open for registration approximately four months before start of the course.

We cannot ensure any seats before the deadline for enrolment, all participants will be informed after the deadline, approximately 3 weeks before the start of the course. 

For inquiries regarding registration, cancellation or waiting list, please contact the PhD administration at phdcourses@adm.aau.dk When contacting us please state the course title and course period. Thank you.