Critical Thinking and Philosophy of Technology

Knowledge

Required Prior Knowledge

None

Description

This seminar offers an overview of central positions in the critical philosophy of technology with a special focus on digital technologies. The seminar asks how technologies shape our politics, societies, and specific ideas of the human and how different understandings of technology can open up alternative and more inclusive perspectives. In addition to the critical analysis of existing technologies, speculative approaches are discussed in order to explore alternatives and the possibilities of change in technologies. Finally, the theories and approaches discussed are applied to the technologies with which the students themselves work.

Learning objectives

After successfully completing the course, students will be able to

•    Identify and explain central positions of critical philos-ophy of technology
•    Assess the political, ethical, ecological and societal aspects of specific technologies
•    Discuss gender, race, class, disability and other as-pects of discrimination in respect to technologies
•    Differentiate philosophical methods and their applica-tion
•    Apply practical approaches to technologies with a the-oretical discussion and understanding

Comment

Content:

•    Introduction to central approaches in the philosophy of technology
•    Challenge dominant narratives on digital technologies and explore alternative and critical-speculative narratives
•    Focus on exclusions and discriminations in digital technologies
•    Combining theoretical and practical forms of analysis
•    Application of theory to the own technical practice