Department of industrial engineering & innovation sciences

Philosophy & Ethics

The Philosophy and Ethics (P&E) Group conducts research at the intersection of philosophy, technology, and innovation

Philosophical perspectives on technology and innovation

Research at the Philosophy and Ethics (P&E) group connects philosophy and ethics to technology and innovation. We believe the design, use, and regulation of technologies is enriched by ethical and philosophical analysis. In turn, philosophy must be informed by science, innovation, and technological developments. A few of the research topics studied in the group include theories and models of technological and cultural evolution, and ethical assessment of persuasive technologies, social robotics, and advances in medical and mobility technologies. Interdisciplinary cooperation is vital for our research, which often involves direct engagement with the natural, engineering and social sciences. Researchers in the P&E group often study innovative technologies and technology-related problems in detail to enable genuinely empirically informed analyses that are meaningful to philosophers, researchers in other areas, and society. For this purpose, the group has established close interdisciplinary collaborations with researchers from other groups in the TU/e School of Innovation Sciences, as well as with mechanical engineers, climate scientists, and archaeologists, among others.

P&E News

November 16, 2023
Co-creation can serve as the catalyst for the most innovative outcomes. Here’s how.
Shelly Tsui defended her PhD thesis at the Department of Industrial Engineering and Innovation Sciences on November 16th.
Read more
October 5, 2023
Wijnand IJsselsteijn and Matthew Dennis advice European Parliament on Human-computer confluence in education.
At the Science and Technology Options Assessment (STOA) of the European Parliament
Read more
More news
Lukas Fuchs receives Best Paper Award at the 2023 Luhmann Conference
September 29, 2023
Matthew Dennis receives a KNAW Academy Early Career Partnership award
July 18, 2023
XS grant for Elizabeth O’Neill
May 3, 2023
Emily Sullivan receives Honorable Mention in BJPS Popper Prize competition
March 15, 2023

Some of our research projects

See all of our research projects

Explain yourself! The scope of understanding and explanation from machine learning models

This project develops a new framework for identifying whether understanding from machine learning models is possible, and the impact these models have on theories of explanation.

popAI

A European positive sum approach towards AI tools in support of law enforcement and safeguarding privacy and fundamental rights

Opacity in AI: Analysis, Impact, Policy

AI systems often produce an output where it is not clear why this output was produced; the system is ‘opaque’ (non-transparent) to the subjects, users, and even to the makers of the system.

Research project

Ethics of Socially Disruptive Technologies (ESDiT)

Understanding the impact of disruptive technologies on society and humans.

Research project

COME-RES

COMmunity Energy for the uptake of Renewable EnergySources in the electricity sector

Some of our researchers

Assistant Professor

Matthew Dennis

Full Professor

Wybo Houkes

Full Professor

Lambèr Royakkers

University Researcher

Emily Sullivan

Associate Professor

Andreas Spahn

Assistant Professor

Elizabeth O'Neill

Assistant Professor

Patrik Hummel

Associate Professor

Philip Nickel

Associate Professor

Krist Vaesen

Assistant Professor

Gunter Bombaerts

Assistant Professor

Dunja Šešelja

Assistant Professor

Carlos Zednik

Assistant Professor

Vlasta Sikimić

Assistant Professor

Lily Frank

Project Related Publications

Our most recent peer reviewed publications

Services & Outreach

P&E readily offers its expertise to third parties. We provide ethics support to scholars in the process of writing research proposals, and we help in the accreditation of TU/e educational programs (ACQA). Furthermore, we offer a webtool that supports teaching ethics to engineering students (Agora). The tool can be licensed for use to universities and individual teachers. Finally, the P&E group can be consulted on ethical issues, e.g., in the context of news or media coverage of new technologies.

Student opportunities

P&E PhD students research a variety of topics related to the philosophy and ethics of science and technology. Vacancies for funded PhD positions are advertised on our homepage.

For TU/e masters students interested in the big picture, the P&E group offers the Philosophy Certificate. Our courses aim to give students powerful theoretical tools for the critical examination of their own areas of study, and a knowledge of the state of the art of philosophical thinking on technology- and science-related topics.

Work with us!

Please check out the TU/e vacancy pages for opportunities within our group.

If you are a student, potential sponsor or industrial partner and want to work with us, please contact the P&E secretariat
or the Philosophy and Ethics group chair, Prof.dr.ir. Wybo Houkes

Contact