[ecrea] "Technology, Society, Change" - Symposium on Andrew Feenberg

==================================================
"Technology, Society, Change"
A Symposium on Andrew Feenberg's Critical Theory of Technology
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Friday 25th March 2011 - Vrije Universiteit Brussel
==================================================


Speakers:
Andrew Feenberg, Graeme Kirkpatrick, Peter-Paul Verbeek, Gert Goeminne, 
Karl Verstrynge, Yoni Van Den Eede

http://www.vub.ac.be/FILO/AndrewFeenberg


For long, technology has been treated as a self-contained realm, by 
philosophers and non-philosophers alike. Changes to technologies, if 
possible at all, were meant to come either from technological progress 
itself or from the engineers, scientists, politicians, or marketeers 
immediately concerned with them. Quite rightly this stark view has been 
refuted during the last couple of decades, not in the least thanks to 
the booming scene of Philosophy of Technology, an eclectic band of 
philosophers keen on placing technology straight back where it actually 
dwells: in the midst of society.

However, the results of their research have by no means seeped into the 
collective consciousness. A wide-ranging public debate about the forms, 
effects, consequences, and evolution of technology - that surpasses 
"mere" climate change problems, however acute these may be - is still 
far off. This might be seen as the consequence of a general lack of 
knowledge about the very diverse mechanisms behind technological genesis 
and change.

As one of the leading theorists in the Philosophy of Technology, Andrew 
Feenberg has been concerned with technological change for more than 
twenty years now. He has developed a theoretical framework incorporating 
insights from sources as various as Marcuse, Marx, Habermas, Heidegger, 
Latour, and Social Constructivism of Technology, resulting in a 
completely original outlook on technology and its societal dynamics 
known as 'Instrumentalization Theory.' In this view, technologies are 
socially and historically constructed, but in the end have a 
power-consolidating function for the ruling groups. Yet this is but one 
side of the story. Individual actors or interest groups can enforce 
changes to technologies by way of re-appropriation, demanding design 
changes, or political action. This very possibility of democratization 
rekindles the potential for social change.

At the symposium, we engage a conversation with Andrew Feenberg and his 
work, about issues as the democratization and politics of technology; 
development, history, and impact of technology; the form and scope of 
public debate around technologies; the workings of technological 
decision making; ... Contributions may range from highly theoretical 
analyses to very specific observations from the field, and they may 
cover disciplines that outstretch the boundaries of philosophy into STS, 
communication studies, sociology, psychology, political theory, etc.


Registration:
Please send an e-mail to (yvdeede /at/ vub.ac.be) before 15th March 2011.

Registration fee:
Standard: 10 euro
VUB students: free
Non-VUB students: 5 euro


More information:
Yoni Van Den Eede -- Department of Philosophy and Moral Sciences -- Free 
University of Brussels - (yvdeede /at/ vub.ac.be).

http://www.vub.ac.be/FILO/AndrewFeenberg


Yoni Van Den Eede
Ph.D. fellow of the Research Foundation -- Flanders (FWO)
Department of Philosophy and Moral Sciences
Free University of Brussels (VUB)
Phone: +32 486 52 58 30
E-mail: (yvdeede /at/ vub.ac.be)

http://www.vub.ac.be/FILO/AndrewFeenberg

http://www.mcluhancentennial.eu