PHIL-TH (2016)

Aims and scopes:

A remarkable part of academic philosophers of the 20th century worked at high schools or universities specialized on technology (Institutes of Technology). In the German context, they are named “Technische Hochschule (TH)” and later “Technische Universität (TU)”. Names of philosophers to be remembered are Joseph Petzoldt and Walter Dubislav in Berlin, Hugo Dingler, Julius Goldstein and Karl Schlechta in Darmstadt, Gustav Kafka in Dresden, Simon Moser in Karlsruhe, Max Bense in Stuttgart, Herman Schmalenbach and Peter Bulthaup in Hannover, Willy Moog, Hermann Glockner and Elisabeth Ströker in Braunschweig, but also Noam Chomsky at the MIT and Bruno Latour at the Écoles des mines Paris. For the historiography of philosophy particularly in the German context, the above-mentioned names of philosophers of the pre- and past-war times denote, more or less, a vacancy.

The conference aims at reconstructing the biographies of philosophers at THs/TUs, interrelated with the systematic question, how and about which topics these philosophers actually philosophized. Taken into account that THs/TUs underwent different phases of profile building, this is assumed to show as feedback also within the subject of philosophy as such. For example in Germany, the Technische Hochschulen hosted the education of public school teachers since the 1920s; after WWII they strategically integrated the pedagogical high schools (set up during the Nazi times), not least to reach the full rank of a university. In sum, the conference will highlight the potentials and restrictions of philosophical work in the institutional mode of inter- and transdisciplinarity.

Central questions are: How does thinking, working and living of philosophers change, when they are faculty of an Institute of Technology? Does the tendency to think and work in an interdisciplinary way increase, particulary regarding the cooperation with engineers and scientists? Are there significant structures of philosophies, which have been developed at Institutes of Technologies? For example, is “philosophy of technology” a preferred topic? If yes, does this result from institutional tactics or from real philosophical interest? Do Institutes of Technology allow their philosophers more academic freedom than classical universities; are they maybe even a biotope for lateral thinkers and mavericks? Have the philosophers concerned been able to build schools of thought? Is a professorship for philosophy at an Institute of Technology a career booster or a dead end? How is the external view on the role of these philosophers? Can we observe recognition, acceptance or ignorance?

The presentations should focus on at least one philosopher at a TH/TU, from both the biographic-historical and the systematic point of view. Even if the conference will have a spatial focus on Germany, presentations relating to other countries are most welcome. Please send an abstract (500-700 words incl. presentation title) and a short CV (100 words) not later than 1 July 2016 to s.lobenhofer(at)tu-bs.de. Notification proceeds until 18 July 2016. Travel and accommodation costs for speakers will be covered.