Volume 23, Number 2 (Spring 1999)
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Message from the President
Plans for the SPT 1999 meeting in San Jose seem to be moving along, and we have no reason to think Edinburgh 2001 will not go equally well. Membership remains small but steady. Some volunteers have stepped forward to fill vacancies in jobs that need to be done - though more are always needed. The future of our organization seems secure.
What about philosophy-and-technology as an area of intellectual interest, especially as we enter the twenty-first century? There would seem to be no dearth of technological developments on which to focus attention - biotechnologies and information technologies, for example, continue to dazzle the intellectual world. There would seem to be no limit to technological expansion, no matter how many calls earlier philosophers of technology have made to call a halt to it. Surely, this very fact, as well as the technological developments themselves, call for philosophical analysis.
Similarly, threats to the environment - or to sustainability, especially in less-developed regions of the world - seem likely to continue, and to remain a function of technoeconomic development. The same is true for other technosocial problems. They all seem to call for philosophical as well as other kinds of solutions.
If the twentieth century has been the pre-eminent century of technological development - for good or ill - we have no reason to expect that the twenty-first century will not follow the same path. Alas, philosophers - even philosophers in SPT - have not always been at the forefront of thinkers pointing out the centrality of technology in our culture. Possibly this intellectual failure of nerve is a function of the academic character of philosophy in the twentieth century. However that may be, nothing is to stop philosophers in the twenty-first century from taking on the task.
What I'd like to leave as my legacy to SPT, as I turn over the presidency to Deborah Johnson, is this challenge. Each of us, I believe, ought to spend as much time convincing colleagues of the importance of technological topics as we do on our own efforts to deal with the problems. We can't turn the field over to sociologists or historians or journalists and still expect to be relevant in the twenty-first century.
Paul Durbin
Local Arrangements
Dear SPT 1999 Participants,
Here are some information and links to maps, etc., which you might find helpful and might want to keep for reference for your trip. If you are planning to stay at the Campus Residence Hall, if you have not done so already, please contact Yoko Arisaka, arisaka@usfca.edu or 415-422-6424, with dates (please be specific), whether you would like a single or double, or are looking for a roommate to share (in that case specify male/female/doesn't matter).
If you would like to stay at a hotel near campus, please make your own arrangements. For a list of smaller hotels near the university, go to the SPT website at http://www.spt.org You can also find hotel information along with information about San Jose in general at the San Jose visitor and conference by the City of San Jose at:
http://www.sanjose.org
There is also "hotels" on:
http://www.mapquest.com
(which shows a map of downtown San Jose area, if you indicate San Jose hotels).
Residence Hall
Official accommodations are in "Royce Hall" in the University's residence hall complex on campus. This is within a five minute walk of the Engineering Building where the meetings will be held. Royce Hall is located on campus on the cul-de-sac of 8th Street, just off San Salvador Street.
The accommodations in Royce Hall are basic (the rooms have single beds, a desk, etc., with shared bathroom facilities), but the building has been recently renovated, it is air-conditioned and quite comfortable. There are computer facilities in Royce Hall that allow access to the Internet. Smoking is prohibited (by California law) in all buildings on campus, including the residence halls and rooms. Linens and towels will be provided.
Costs for accommodations per person are approximately $27.85 per night for a double (shared), $37.85 for a single (alone), which includes an all-you-can-eat breakfast in the near-by dining commons. Adjacent the residence hall complex there are excellent gym facilities and an outdoor olympic pool. Special passes to these facilities will be available for a nominal fee.
Payment will be made by each party directly to the University at the residence hall desk at time of check-in. Payment may be made by MasterCard, Visa or cheque. For those who may be interested, it is possible to reserve accommodations at the residence hall for additional nights before and/or after the conference (i.e., earlier than the afternoon of 14th or beyond the morning of the 18th).
Registration
There will be a registration table at Royce Hall on the evening before the conference begins and at the Engineering Building (the conference site) the following morning. At registration, each person will be given a packet with: maps of the campus and of downtown San Jose; information about the conference and the University; and, a list of places to eat within walking distance of campus. As mentioned in an earlier message from Deborah Johnson, the registration fee is $30 ($5 for students). Registration fee payment is cash only (no credit cards or cheques).
Transportation to San Jose and Campus
Attendees can fly directly into San Jose International Airport. From there it is a short taxi ride (about 5-10 min, around $11, often cheaper than shuttle services) to the University, or for about the same price you may use one of the shuttle service vans (see below). It may be that from some locations there are more reasonably priced air tickets to either San Francisco International Airport (45 min. without traffic) or Oakland International Airport (about one hour without traffic). So ask your travel agent to check all three airports. There is easy and reasonably priced ground transportation from both the San Francisco and Oakland airports to San Jose. The University is in downtown San Jose. It is easy to locate, as is the residence hall complex.
Shuttle Services, cab fares, etc.:
(all quotes are approximate)Santa Clara Airporter (800-771-7794)
San Jose airport to downtown San Jose: $15
San Francisco Airport to downtown San Jose: $39
Oakland Airport to downtown San Jose: $54
South & East Bay Airport Shuttle (408-225-4444)
San Jose airport to downtown San Jose: $16
San Francisco Airport to downtown San Jose: $26
No service from Oakland airportYellow Checker Cab Company (408-293-1234):
San Jose airport to downtown San Jose: $11-15
San Francisco Airport to downtown San Jose: about $70-80 w/o traffic
Oakland Airport to downtown San Jose: about $80-90 w/o traffic
Maps
Downtown San Jose area in general: http://www.lycos.com/roadmap.html
and specify San Jose, CA. The map will allow you to zoom in or out.
The map of San Jose State University:
http://www.sjsu.edu/campusmap/map.html#mainmap
The conference site is Engineering building, #31 on the map
The residence facilities/halls are #50-59. Royce Hall is #51.
See the university's home page (http://www.sjsu.edu) for more information.
Local contact for residence hall reservation:
Yoko Arisaka (arisaka@usfca.edu)
Philosophy Department, University of San Francisco
2130 Fulton St. San Francisco, CA 94117 U. S. A.
Office phone: 415-422-6424, Fax: 415-422-2346
http://www.arisaka.org
Local contact for other conference site matters:Noam Cook (SDNCOOK@aol.com)
Department of Philosophy
San Jose State University
One Washington Square
San Jose, CA 95192
Office phone: 408-924-4526; Fax: 408-924-4527
SPT 11TH BIENNIEL PROGRAM
JULY 14: Registration
JULY 15:
8:30-8:45 Welcome by San Jose/San Jose State dignitary
8:45-9:45:
Presidential Address: Paul Durbin, Department of Philosophy, University of Delaware, "SPT at the End of a Quarter Century: What Have We Accomplished?"
10:00-Noon
Session A: What Do Engineers Know? Davis Baird, Session Chair Louis L Bucciarelli, MIT, "What do engineers know and how do they do it?";
Peter Kroes, Univ. of Technology, Delft, Nl, "Technological Knowledge: Knowledge of Structures and of Functions";
Joseph C. Pitt, Virginia Tech, "What Engineers Know";
Walter G. Vincenti, Stanford University, "The Experimental Assessment of Engineering Theory as a Tool for Design: A Personal Case Study."
Session B: Cyberspace: Reality/Virtuality
Philip Brey, Department of Philosophy, Twente University, The Netherlands, "Virtual Ontology and Construction of Human Activity in Cyberspace";
Jorg Wurzer, journalist/author (Germany), "Real virtuality. Semantic spaces as heir to hyper reality";
Stuart Shapiro, Department of Science and Technology Studies, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, "Valuable Real Estate";
Agustin Araya, Dept. of Mathematics and Computer Science, San Jose State University, "The Hidden Side of Visualization."
1:30-3:30
Session A: Perspectives on and of the Asian-Pacific: Yoko Arisaka, Session Chair
Sheila Hones, British & American Studies Dept., Keisen University, Tokyo, "Virtual Invasions: Technology and the Image of the Asia-Pacific Region in the USA, 1980-95";
Benjamin Wage, St. Scholastica's College- Manila, Philippines, "The web of life in the life of web: the philippine experience";
Junichi Murata, Philosophy Dept, Tokyo University, "The Nature of Technology and its Interpretive Flexibility";
Kiyotaka Naoe, Philosophy Dept., Kyushu Kango University, "Technology as a Form of Action".
Session B: Designing the World We Live In
Carl Mitcham, Department of Philosophy and Science, Technology, Society Program, Pennsylvania State University, "From Dasein to Design: Authenticity in the Techno-lifeworld";
Gene Moriarty, Department of Electrical Engineering, San Jose State University, "The Place of Engineering and the Engineering of Place";
Stephan Bugaj, IntelliGenesis, "Pattern Languages of Interaction Design";
Langdon Morris, KMLab, Inc. and Michael Kran, Collaborative Technology, "Science and Art in the Design of Real and Virtual Workspaces."
3:45-5:15
Session A: Technology at Table
Jeff Burkhardt, U of Florida, Session Co-chair
Paul B. Thompson, Purdue University, Session Co-chair
Gary Comstock, Philosophy & Religious Studies, Iowa State
Session B: Representing Knowledge
Neil Randall and Isabel Pedersen, University of Waterloo (Canada), "Metaphoric Representations of Space in Computer Interfaces";
Susan Leigh Star and Geoffrey Bowker, Graduate School of Library and Information Science, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, "Invisible Landscapes: Standardization and Classification in Cyberspace";
Nicola Teffer, Department of Design, Architecture and Building, University of Technology, Sydney, "Enumerating Illumination: visualising the body through medical imaging technologies."
5:15-6:30 Reception
JULY 16:
8:30-9:30:
Invited Session: Andrew Light, Session Chair
Brian Cantwell Smith, Cognitive Science, Computer Science, and Philosophy, Indiana University "Computing as Site, Not Subject Matter";
Eric Dietrich, "Artificial Intelligence and the Mechanistic Forces of Darkness"
9:45-Noon
Session A: Session A: Technologies of the Present and Future
Andrew Garnar, Science and Technology Studies, Virginia Tech, "Portable civilizations and urban assault ve hicles";
Lesley Sharp, Department of Anthropology, Barnard College, "The Organ Donor as Medical Conundrum";
Jason Patton, "The Social Relations of Public Places and Surveillance Technologies";
Andrew Ward (Georgia Institute of Technology) and Brian Prosser (San Jose State University), "The Virtual Classroom and Computer Mediated Instruction";
Stefan Berndes, Philosophy of Technology, BTU Cottus (Germany), "Future of Knowledge. Aspects of Ethics of Knowledge Selection and Transfer."
Session B: Living in Cyberspace I
Gordon Graham, Centre for Philosophy, Technology and Society, University of Aberdeen, Scotland "The Urban Geography of Cyberspace";
Paul Doty, Owen D. Young Library, St. Lawrence University, "I Am Not Solitary Whilst I Read and Write: The Internet as Emersonian Space";
Charles Harvey, Department of Philosophy and Religion, University of Central Arkansas, and Carol A. Zibell, Department of Elementary Education, University of Central Arkansas, "Shrinking Selves and Synthetic Sites";
John Sullins, Philosophy, Computers and Cognitive Science, Binghamton University "Transcending the Meat: computer mediated bodies."
Session C: Designing the New World
Andy Crabtree, John Hughes, Sociology Department, Cartmel College, Lancaster University (UK), Tom Rodden, Computing Department, SECAMS (UK), Jon O'Brien, Xerox Research Centre Europe, Cambridge Laboratory (UK), "The social organisation of space and the design of electronic landscapes";
Andrew Wenn, HPS University of Melbourne & Department of Information Systems, Victoria University of Technology, "Open Systems, Social Topologies: describing the evolution of an internet service";
Robert Mugerauer, Architecture, University of Texas, "New Invisible Spaces";
Barbara Allen, Architecture, University of Southwestern Louisiana, "Trouble in Cyberia."
1:30-3:30
Session A: Living in Cyberspace II
Thomas Anderson, Department of Philosophy, Marquette University, "The Body and Communities of Cyberspace: A Marcellian Analysis";
Jeff Thompson, Department of Electrical Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, "Going Offshore: How Technology Can Undermine the Relevance of National Policy";
Diane Michelfelder, Department of Languages and Philosophy, Utah State University, "Our Moral Condition in Cyberspace";
Joseph Westfall, Philosophy Department, Boston College, "What is Cyberwoman? The Second Sex in Cyberspace."Session B: Technological Spaces/Places
Fiona Allon, University of Technology, Sydney, "Technological Spaces";
Noam Cook, San Jose State University and Xerox Parc, "Technology and the Eclipse of Place: The California Central Valley as Megamachine";
Carlos Martin, Civil & Environmental Engi neering, Stanford University, "Building Technology, Making Space";
J.A. English-Lueck and c. Darrah, Silicon Connections, Department of Anthropology, San Jose State University, "Silicon Connections: Tales of Family and Work from Silicon Valley, Bangalore, Dublin and Taipei";
Romualdas Sviedrys, "Technological Spaces and Physics Research";
Andrew Light, SUNY Binghamton, "Philosophy of Geography, Philosophy of Film."Session C: Author Meets Critics, Yoko Arisaka, Session Chair
Critics: Susan Leigh Star, David Stump
Author: Andrew Feenberg3:45-6:00
Visit to the Tech Museum
JULY 17:
8:30-10:00:
Special Session on the Future of SPT, Deborah Johnson10:15-Noon
Session A: Making Room for Change: Understanding and Questioning Technology
Gloria Gannaway, Center for Media and Independent Learning, University of California, Berkeley, "Finding a Place for Questioning Technology";
Peter Tijmes, "Technology in our head: culture and politics";
Tyler Veak, Science and Technology Studies, Virginia Tech, "Steering the Ship from within: on the possibility of socio-technologyical transformation";
Kai Eriksson, London School of Economics, Information Systems Department, "On the Thinking of Information Technology", LSE;
Mikko Siponen, "The Applicability of Supervenience to IT Ethics."
Session B: Living in Cyberspace III
Gilbert Germain, "Illusions of Cyberspace";
Dara O'Neil and Jim Demmers, Georgia Tech Research Institute, "Leavers and Takers: Alternative Perspectives on Universal Access";
Lonny Brooks, Department of Communication Studies, UC San Diego, "Future Scenarios as Cultural Landscapes";
Mikko Siponen, "The Applicability of Supervenience to IT Ethics."
12:00: Conference Ends
Announcements
Teknema
Tekhnema: Journal of Philosophy and Technology began publishing in 1993. It is an (almost) annual series edited by Richard Beardsworth and published at the American University of Paris.
According to the statement of editorial policy in vol. 1 (1993), "Tekhnema presents a forum in which relations between philosophy and technology can be discussed, complexified and experimented upon. It is not a philosophical journal, if one understands by philosophy the refusal (however mediated and subtle) to affirm technology. It is not a journal of technology, if one sees in such a journal the inability or refusal to consider -- in philosophical, ethical, and political terms -- the fate of modern technics. By providing such a forum, Tekhnema wishes to think and prepare a future which is unpredicatable and innovative . . . ."
There was no issue in 1994. Vol. 2 (1995), was devoted to the theme "Technics and Finitude." Vol. 3 (1996) was titled "A Touch of Memory."
With vol. 4 the journal began numbering by issue only, and became fully bilingual English/French. Issue no. 4 (1997) was titled "The Temporal Object / L'objet temporel." Issue no. 5 (announced for Fall 1998) is to be on "Chance and Energy." Issue no. 6 (forthcoming Spring 1999), will be on "Teleologies: Scientific, Technical and Critical."
Tekhnema has a home page at http://www.gold.ac.uk/tekhnema/
It can also be ordered ($US10 per issue) from:
Tekhnema
American University of Paris
31, avenue Bosquet
75007 Paris, France
Book announcement by the editor
Democratising Technology-Theory and Practice of Deliberative Technology Policy
Edited by Rene von Schomberg, published by the International Centre for Human and Public Affairs (ICHPA), Hengelo, The Netherlands, 125 pages.
ISBN 90-802139-6-9; 19,90 US dollar, order by fax +31-74-2918697
Book description:
With this volume a range of international authors contributes to an ongoing debate on the conceptual and practical development of a deliberative technology policy. Such a technology policy should bring the realm of technological innovation within the scope of democratic decision making. Deliberative technology policy seeks the right balance between direct public participation which contributes to the legitimacy of the policy process whereas the quality of the policy process should be safeguarded by an appropriate mediation of science and policy by experts.
Table of Contents
Introduction
- Escaping the iron cage, or, subversive rationalization and democratic theory by Andrew Feenberg (San Diego, State University)
- Design Criteria and political strategies for democratising technology, by Richard E. Sclove (Loka Institute)
- Why the public should participate in technical decision making, by Carl Mitcham, (Penn State University)
- Democratizing technology or technologizing democracy- the case of agricultural biotechnology in Europe, by Les Levidow (Open University, England)
- Environmental research between knowledge and organisation, by G. Bechmann (Institute for Systems analysis, Karlsruhe, Germany)
- Technology Assessment in a deliberative perspective, by Ole Brekke and E. Erikson (Bergen, Norway)
Events of Interest
International Summer Academy on Technology Studies: Technology Studies and Sustainability, Deutschlandsberg, Austria, July 11 - 16, 1999. Organized by: Inter-University Research Center for Technology, Work and Culture
(IFF/IFZ) Schloegelgasse 2, A-8010 Graz, Austria
The aim of this summer academy is to explore ways for a sustainable, i.e. socially and environmentally friendly, design of technologies as an issue of technology studies and technology policy. How can technology studies contribute to sustainable development? Do they provide new perspectives to analyse and to actively shape technological change? Can technology studies raise the reflexivity of the discourse on sustainability? Is it functional to policy agenda building? For more information on programme, invited speakers, etc. have a look at the Summer Academy's web-site: http://www.cis.tu-graz.ac.at/ifz/summeracademy/ or send an e-mail to rohracher@ifz.big.ac.at
Conference fees: ATS 4,000 (approx. EUR 290). Fees include proceedings and other conference materials. Hotel rooms have been reserved by the organisers at the castle (Burghotel ****) and in Deutschlandsberg. Accommodation costs will be ATS 4000 - 5000 (EUR 290-360), including full board and coffee breaks for the period from Sunday evening to Friday evening and social events during the week. Grants covering fees and accommodation will be made available to participants from Central and Eastern European transition economies by the Austrian Federal Ministry of Science and Transport.
Invencao: Thinking the Next Millennium, August 25-29, 1999, Sao Paolo, Brazil. Invencao is an opportunity for those working at the creative edge of the arts, sciences and technology to collaborate in the transdisciplinary development of ideas and innovative strategies for life in the next millennium. Invencao is a "seeding" event that seeks to identify key questions and issues that can lead to the radical transformation of culture. Invencao will examine the consequences of this convergence of art, science, and technology on our sense of self and human identity, on consciousness, community and the city, as well as on learning and leisure issues. FEES: There will be a registration fee of US $100 (or equivalent amount in national currency) for those who are selected to present. Members of ISEA, CAiiA/STAR, and Leonardo/ISAST will be granted a 20% reduction. Further information is available at: http://itaucultural.org/invencao/invencao.htm or Instituto Cultural Itau, Av. Paulistra 149, 01311-000 Sao Paula (SP) - Brazil, tel 55 11 2381741, fax 55 11 2381720, invencao@itaucultural.org.br
The University of Oklahoma History of Science Association is proud to announce the 18th annual Mephistos graduate student conference at the University of Oklahoma in Norman, Oklahoma on October 1-2, 1999. Mephistos is an annual conference for graduate students working in the field of Science Studies, which encompasses the history, philosophy, and sociology of science, technology, and medicine. Mephistos provides the opportunity for graduate students to present papers, engage in informal discussion, and meet other student from other universities. Although Mephistos will appeal to people to people in science studies, students in other areas touching on the sciences or with an interest in interdisciplinary research are also encouraged to submit paper proposal and to attend the conference. A conference registration fee of $10 is required for all attendees. The 1999 Program Committee seeks proposals for individual papers related to the History, Philosophy, and Sociology of Science, Technology, and Medicine from the ancient period to the present. Please mail, e-mail or fax a one-page abstract for a 15-20 minute paper and a brief c.v. postmarked by August 9, 1999 to: MePHiSToS 1999, Department of the History of Science, The University of Oklahoma, 601 Elm, Room 622, Norman, Oklahoma 73019-0315. Tel.: (405) 364-2003, Fax: (405) 325-2363, E-mail: mephistos@ou.edu.
Seventh Foresight Conference on Molecular Nanotechnology. October 15 -17, 1999 at the Westin Hotel in Santa Clara, CA. An introductory Tutorial on Foundations of Nanotechnology will be held on October 14. Information about invited speakers, registration, etc., can be found at: http://www.foresight.org/Conferences/MNT7/index.html.
From January 9-23, 2000 the University of Hawaii will present the Eighth East-West Philosophers' Conference, featuring the theme "Technology and Cultural Values: On the Edge of the Third Millennium." Scholars are invited to propose a paper that will address the theme of the conference. For more information, or to send a short abstract, please use the following contact information: East-West Philosophers' Conference, University of Hawaii, 2530 Dole Street, Honolului, Hawaii 96822-2283. Tel: 1-808-956-6685; Fax: 1-808-956-9228; E-mail: farrel@hawaii.edu. Please send your proposal along as early as possible.
Second Annual University of South Carolina Comparative Literature Conference, entitled History, Technology, and Identity: After Foucault, March 16-18, 2000, is a follow-up to the two-year international conference, Cultural History After Foucault, held in 1997 and 1998 at the universities of Amsterdam and Aberdeen. It seeks to examine both the limits and contributions of Foucault's thought in the three interrelated topics of history, technology, and identity. Inquiries and one page abstracts for 20 minute papers should be sent to Paul Allen Miller, Program in Comparative Literature, Welsh Hall, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, (803-777-0473); pamiller@sc.edu. Abstracts must be received by December 1, 1999. This conference is sponsored in part by the College of Liberal Arts, The University of South Carolina. For updated information, see their web page at: http://www.cas.sc.edu/CPLT/activities/2ndannualc.html
Techne Affairs
Send inquries about and information for Techne to: Joseph C. Pitt, Techne Editor
Department of Philosophy
Major Williams Hall
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA 24061-0126
E-mail: jcpitt@vt.edu
or Andrew Garnar, Associate Editor
E-mail: agarnar@vt.edu
Techne is published by Joseph C. Pitt and Andrew Garnar
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