Between June 10-14, students and faculty from across Europe came together at Sorbonne Nouvelle University for an intensive course on “European Philosophies of Technology.” Organized by Alberto Romele (Sorbonne Nouvelle) and Darryl Cressman (Maastricht), the course focused on different traditions that help make up the philosophy of technology in Europe.

We were joined by a number of members of the Society for the History of the Philosophy of Technology who were treated to a series of lectures from leading philosophers of technology, in-depth discussions amongst the participants., and different excursions in Paris.

The course began with a lecture by Federica Buongiorno (Florence) titled “Technological Uncertainty and the Catastrophist Paradigm: A Phenomenological Reading,” which examined themes found in the work of Yuk Hui and Bernard Stiegler through the lens of phenomenology. On the second day, Michał Wieczorek (Dublin City University) lectured on “Pragmatism and the Philosophy of Technology,” emphasizing how John Dewey’s work can be translated into a philosophy of technology. The third day featured a lecture by Xavier Guchet (Compiègne) & Emanuele Clarizio (Lille) on French Philosophy of Technology, and in particular the work of George Canguillhem, which included references to unpublished archival material. Friday’s lecture was delivered by Darryl Cressman on “The History of the Philosophy of Technology: The Empirical Turn,” which focused on the philosophy of technology in the Netherlands. The course concluded with two lectures by Andrew Feenberg (Simon Fraser University), “Herbert Marcuse’s Philosophy of Technology,” which explored the influence of phenomenology in Marcuse’s work on technology and a second lecture on Artificial Intelligence that examined the claims and assumptions of many AI initiatives.

We also visited the Jeu de Paume Art Centre for the exhibition Le Monde selon l’IA (The World According to AI) and the Musée des Arts et Métiers.

On behalf of the organizers, they would like to thank YUFE (Young Universities for the Future of Europe) Erasmus+ for their financial support and Sorbonne Nouvelle University for their administrative and organizational support.