dr. Mark Coeckelbergh

Department of Philosophy

University of Twente

P.O. Box 217

7500 AE Enschede

The Netherlands

Phone +31 53 489 3285

E-mail m.coeckelbergh@utwente.nl

CV page http://users.gw.utwente.nl/Coeckelbergh/site/pages/cv_academic.htm

UTwente site http://users.gw.utwente.nl/Coeckelbergh/

Personal site http://users.gw.utwente.nl/Coeckelbergh/site/

Background

Mark Coeckelbergh (PhD, University of Birmingham, UK) is Assistant Professor of Philosophy of Technology at the Philosophy Department of the University of Twente, The Netherlands. He is also a member of 3TU.Ethics - the Centre for Ethics and Technology, of CTIT (Centre for Telematics and Information Technology, University of Twente – one of the largest ICT institutes in Europe), and of BMTI (biomedical technology, University of Twente). He studied political sciences (Lic., KU Leuven, Belgium) and philosophy (MA, University of East Anglia, UK). He also holds a teacher degree (Aggregaat, KU Leuven). During and after his PhD on freedom and autonomy, he worked on several research projects in the area of ethics of technology, involving inter-disciplinary research at the University of Bath (UK) and the nuclear research centre SCK-CEN (Belgium). From 2003 to 2006 he has been a Lecturer in Philosophy at Maastricht University (The Netherlands), where he taught (among other courses) Ethics and Political Philosophy. He wrote books on freedom and autonomy (Liberation and Passion and The Metaphysics of Autonomy) and on the role of imagination in moral reasoning (Imagination and Principles), and published journal articles on engineering ethics, decision-making in neonatal intensive care, global justice, empathy, moral imagination, technological risk, and business ethics in journals such as Ethical Theory and Moral Practice, Science & Engineering Ethics, Ethics and Education, and Science, Technology & Human Values. In November 2007, he received (with Jessica Mesman) the NVBe-Prize from the Nederlandse Vereniging voor Bio-ethiek (Dutch Society for Bioethics).

Research

Mark Coeckelbergh’s research interests are mainly situated in the area of practical philosophy, including – but not limited to – issues in moral theory (Kant, pragmatism, moral sentiment tradition, virtue ethics, phenomenology), moral psychology (personal autonomy and freedom, the role of imagination and emotions in moral reasoning, motivation), political philosophy (global justice, cosmopolitanism), ethics of risk, and ethics of technology – in particular engineering ethics and medical ethics, and environmental philosophy. He is sympathetic to individual and collaborative approaches in philosophy that cross different philosophical traditions and (sub)disciplines, are relevant to contemporary societal problems, and benefit directly or indirectly from empirical research.

Currently he works on ethical, anthropological, and political issues related to emerging and future technology, in particular information technology and robotics. He also published articles on criminal law, environments, art, and religion.

Teaching: Courses at UTwente (2011-2012)

Minor Futures: Maakbare Mens (Philosophy of Human Enhancement)

Ethiek voor Technische Geneeskunde (Medical Ethics for Bachelor Technical Medicine)

Ethiek voor Gezondheidswetenschappen (Medical Ethics for Bachelor Health Sciences)

Society, Politics, & Technology (Master PSTS) (with Frederica Lucivero)

Technology and Social Order (Master PSTS) (with Lissa Roberts)

Member of the Examination Board of the PSTS Master.

Publications

books

monographs

Coeckelbergh, M. Imagination and Principles: An Essay on the Role of Imagination in Moral Reasoning Basingstoke/New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2007 [sample from the publisher]

Coeckelbergh, M. The Metaphysics of Autonomy: The Reconciliation of Ancient and Modern Ideals of the Person Basingstoke/New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2004 [sample from the publisher]

Coeckelbergh, M. Liberation and Passion: Reconstructing the Passion Perspective on Human Being and Freedom Alfter/Bonn: DenkMal Verlag, 2002 [sample from the publisher]


edited volumes

Eggermont, G., M. Coeckelbergh, and A. Verledens (eds.) Ethical Choices in Radiation Protection: in Search of Precaution Mol/Brussels: SCK-CEN Scientific Report, 2003


Journal articles

Coeckelbergh, M. 'Environmental Virtue: Motivation, Skill, and (In)formation Technology' in: Journal of Environmental Philosophy, Fall 2011 issue

published

Coeckelbergh, M. 'What Are We Doing? Microblogging, the Ordinary Private, and the Primacy of the Present' in: Journal of Information, Communication & Ethics in Society 9(2), 2011 [abstract, including link to pdf]

Coeckelbergh, M. 'From killer machines to doctrines and swarms, or Why ethics of military robotics is not (necessarily) about robots.' in: Philosophy & Technology (on-line 5 April 2011) [abstract] [pdf] [open access]

Coeckelbergh, M. 'Artificial Companions: Empathy and Vulnerability Mirroring in Human-Robot Relations' 'in: Studies in Ethics, Law, and Technology 4(3), December 2010 [abstract]

Coeckelbergh, M. 'The Spirit in the Network: Models for Spirituality in a Technological Culture' in: Zygon: Journal of Religion & Science 45(4), December 2010, 957-978

Coeckelbergh, M. 'Moral Responsibility, Technology, and Experiences of the Tragic: From Kierkegaard to Offshore Engineering' in: Science and Engineering Ethics (on-line 24 September 2010) [abstract] [pdf] [open access]

Coeckelbergh, M. 'Humans, Animals, and Robots: A Phenomenological Approach to Human-Robot Relations' in: International Journal of Social Robotics 3(2), March 2011, 197-204 (also published on-line 4 September 2010) [abstract] [pdf] [open access]

Coeckelbergh, M. 'You, Robot: On the Linguistic Construction of Artificial Others' in: AI & Society 26(1), January 2011, 61-69 (also published on-line 10 August 2010) [abstract] [pdf] [open access]

Coeckelbergh, M. 'Human Development or Human Enhancement? A Methodlogical Reflection on Capabilities and the Evaluation of Information Technologies' in: Ethics and Information Technology 13(2), May 2011, 81-92 (also published on-line 6 June 2010) [abstract] [pdf] [open access]

Coeckelbergh, M. 'Robot Rights? Towards a Social-Relational Justification of Moral Consideration' in: Ethics and Information Technology 12(3), September 2010, 209-221 (also published on-line 27 June 2010) [abstract] [pdf] [open access]

Coeckelbergh, M. 'Moral Appearances: Emotions, Robots, and Human Morality' in: Ethics and Information Technology 12(3), September 2010, 235-241 (also published on-line 17 March 2010) [abstract] [pdf]

Coeckelbergh, M. 'Criminals or Patients? Towards a Tragic Conception of Moral and Legal Responsibility' in: Criminal Law and Philosophy 4(2), June 2010, 233-244 (also published on-line 7 March 2010) [abstract] [pdf] [open access]

Coeckelbergh, M. 'Health Care, Capabilities, and AI Assistive Technologies' in: Ethical Theory and Moral Practice 13(2), April 2010, 181-190 (also published on-line 17 July 2009) [abstract] [pdf]

Coeckelbergh, M. 'Engineering Good: How Engineering Metaphors Help Us to Understand the Moral Life and Change Society' in: Science and Engineering Ethics 16(2), June 2010, 371-385 (also published on-line 1 September 2009) [abstract] [pdf] [open access]

Coeckelbergh, M. 'The Public Thing: On the Idea of a Politics of Artefacts' in: Techne 13(3), Fall 2009 [table of contents] [pdf for subscribers]

Coeckelbergh, M. 'Virtual Moral Agency, Virtual Moral Responsibility' in: AI & Society 24(2), September 2009, 181-189 (also published on-line 6 May 2009) [link to Springer publication details] [pdf] [open access]

Coeckelbergh, M. 'Personal Robots, Appearance, and Human Good: A Methodological Reflection on Roboethics' in: International Journal of Social Robotics 1(3), August 2009, 217-221 (also published on-line 5 June 2009) [abstract] [pdf] [open access]

Coeckelbergh, M. 'Distributive Justice and Cooperation in a World of Humans and Non-Humans: A Contractarian Argument for Drawing Non-Humans into the Sphere of Justice' in: Res Publica 15(1), February 2009, 67-84 (also published on-line 28 March 2009) [abstract] [pdf]

Coeckelbergh, M. 'Violent Computer Games, Empathy, and Cosmopolitanism' in: Ethics and Information Technology 9 (3), July 2007, 219-231 [abstract] [pdf]

Coeckelbergh, M. ‘Principles or Imagination? Two Approaches to Global Justice’ in: Journal of Global Ethics 3(2), August 2007, 203-221 [abstract]

Coeckelbergh, M. and G. Wackers ‘Imagination, Distributed Responsibility, and Vulnerable Technological Systems: The Case of Snorre A’ in: Science & Engineering Ethics 13 (2), June 2007, 235-248 (also published online 26 April 2007) [abstract] [pdf]

Coeckelbergh, M. ‘Who Needs Empathy? A Response to Goldie’s Arguments Against Empathy and Suggestions for an Account of Mutual Perspective-Shifting in Contexts of Help and Care’ in: Ethics and Education 2 (1), March 2007, 61-72 [abstract]

Coeckelbergh, M. and J. Mesman ‘With Hope and Imagination: Imaginative Moral Decision-Making in Neonatal Intensive Care Units’ in: Ethical Theory and Moral Practice 10 (1), February 2007, 3-21 (also published on-line December 2006) [abstract] [pdf] (NVBe Prize 2007)

Coeckelbergh, M. ‘Regulation or Responsibility? Autonomy, Moral Imagination, and Engineering’ in: Science, Technology, & Human Values 31(3), May 2006, 1-24 [abstract]

Busby, J.S. and M. Coeckelbergh ‘The Social Ascription of Obligations to Engineers’ in: Science and Engineering Ethics 9(3), July 2003, 363-376 [abstract] [pdf]


Journal articles (other)

Coeckelbergh, M. 'Als kunst groeit: Van moderne biotechnologie naar niet-moderne levenskunst' in: Kunst en Wetenschap 19 (4), 2010, 29-30

Coeckelbergh, M. 'Zoeken naar balans - Workshop Ethiek en ethische toetsing' in: NVBe Nieuwsbrief 16(1), April 2009 [pdf available on NVBe website]

Coeckelbergh, M. 'Mogelijkheid van een eiland: Houellebecq's heimwee naar de mens' in: Wijsgerig Perspectief 48 (1), 2008, 38-49

Wackers, G. and M. Coeckelbergh 'Vulnerability and imagination in the Snorre A gas blowout and recovery' in: WorldOil 229 (1), January 2008 [also available on-line]

Coeckelbergh, M. 'Empathisch wereldburgerschap als moreel ideaal' in: Filosofie 17 (5), October/November 2007, 14-17

Coeckelbergh, M. ‘Risico en publieke verbeelding: Van perceptie tot moreel oordeel ’ in: Filosofie 17 (3), June 2007, 39-44

Coeckelbergh, M. ‘Grenzen en mogelijkheden van een personalistische bedrijfsethiek’ in: Ethische Perspectieven 11(1-2), European Centre for Ethics, K.U.Leuven, 2001, 69-72 [abstract] [pdf]

Coeckelbergh, M. ‘Rousseau’s Idea(s) of Freedom’ in: UEA Papers in Philosophy Vol. 9, UEA, October 1999

Articles in books

forthcoming

Coeckelbergh, M. [to be announced] in Beavers, A. (ed.) Ethics and Affective Computing, Special Issue of The IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) Transactions in Affective Computing, CS/Wiley (forthcoming in 2012)

Coeckelbergh, M. 'Care robots, Virtual Virtue, and the Best Possible Life' in Brey, P., Briggle, A, Spence, E. (eds) The Good Life in a Technological Age, Routledge (forthcoming in 2011)

Coeckelbergh, M. 'Virtue, Empathy, and Vulnerability: A Framework for Evaluating Violence in Digital Games' in: Malliet, S. and Poels, K. (eds.) Moral Issues in Digital Game Play. Leuven: Acco Academic. (forthcoming in 2011)

published

Coeckelbergh, M. 'The Spider and the Web: Emotions, Evolution, and Ethics of Technological Risk'' in: Lavino J G and Neumann, R B (eds) Psychology of Risk Perception. Hauppauge, NY: Nova Science Publishers, 133-143, 2010

Coeckelbergh, M. 'Computer Games, Education, and the Good Life' in: Edvardsen, F and Kulle, H (eds) Educational Games: Design, Learning, and Applications. Hauppauge, NY: Nova Science Publishers, 223-229, 2010

Coeckelbergh, M. 'Risk Emotions and Risk Judgments: Passive Bodily Experience and Active Moral Reasoning in Judgmental Constellations' in: Roeser, S. (ed.) Emotions and Risky Technologies. Dordrecht: Springer, 2010, 213-230 [table of contents]

Coeckelbergh, M. ‘Imagining Worlds: Responsible Engineering Under Conditions of Epistemic Opacity’ in: van de Poel, I., Goldberg, D.E. (eds) Philosophy & Engineering: An Emerging Agenda. Dordrecht: Springer, 2010 [table of contents]

Coeckelbergh, M. ‘Risk and Public Imagination: Mediated Risk Perception as Imaginative Moral Judgment’ in: Asveld, L. and Roeser, S. (eds) The Ethics of Technological Risk. London/Sterling, VA: Earthscan Publishers, 2009

Coeckelbergh, M. ‘Can We Choose Evil? A Discussion of the Problem of Radical Evil as a Modern and Ancient Problem of Freedom’ in: Keen, D.E. and P. Rossi Keen (eds.) Considering Evil and Human Wickedness. Oxford: Inter-Disciplinary Press, 2004 (e-book) [pdf]

reviews

Coeckelbergh, M. Review of Sie, Marueen (2005) Justifying Blame: Why Free Will Matters and Why it Does Not Amsterdam: Rodopi, in: Algemeen Nederlands Tijdschrift voor Wijsbegeerte 98(1), February 2006

presentations 2009 - 2011

conference papers and invited lectures

Coeckelbergh, M. 'Walking ethics: Environment, Technology, and the Phenomenology of Wayfinding in 'Nature' ', Old World and New World Perspectives on Environmental Philosophy ISEE 2011, 8th Annual Meeting of the Inernational Society for Environmental Ethics, Nijmegen, The Netherlands, 14-17 June 2011.

Coeckelbergh, M. 'Can we trust robots?', CEPE 2011 Crossing Boundaries: Ethics in Interdisciplinary and Intercultural Relations, Milwaukee, WI, USA, 31 May - 3 June 2011.

Coeckelbergh, M. 'Technology as Skill and Activity: A Reply to Verbeek and Borgmann', Society for Philosophy and Technology SPT 2011 Technology and Security conference, Denton, Texas, USA, 26-29 May 2011.

Coeckelbergh, M. 'Social Transformation and the Right to Communication' and 'Freedom, Security, Privacy', UNESCO World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS Forum 2011), Geneva, 16-20 May 2011.

Coeckelbergh, M. 'Is Ethics of Robotics about Robots? Philosophy of Robotics Beyond Realism and Individualism', TILTing Perspectives 2011 conference 'Technologies on the stand: Legal and ethical questions in neuroscience and robotics", University of Tilburg, 11-12 April 2011 (invited keynote speaker) [programme]

Coeckelbergh, M. ‘Lost in Appearance? Reputation management, narrative identity, and trust in on-line social network environments’, Workshop on Trust, Paris Descartes University, Paris, 14-15 December.

Coeckelbergh, M. 'Robotic Appearances and Forms of Life', workshop Future of Robotics in Germany and Japan: Intercultural Perspectives and Technical Opportunities, TU Dresden, 11-12 November 2010 (invited speaker)

Coeckelbergh, M. 'Moral Robots? Robot Morality and Human Morality', Phibot10 Philosophy Meets Robotics workshop, TU München, 6-7 October 2010 [program] (invited speaker)

Coeckelbergh, M. 'You, robot: Ontology, appearance, and the linguistic construction of robots and human-robot relations', E-CAP 2010 (ecap10), TU München, 4-6 October 2010 [program]

Coeckelbergh, M. 'Environmental Virtue: Motivation, Imagination, and Information Technology', First Dutch-German Workshop on Challenges for Philosophy of Technology in the 21st Century, University of Stuttgart/Berlin, 26-27 August 2010

Coeckelbergh, M. 'Talking to robots: On the linguistic construction of personal human-robot relations', Human-Robot Personal Relationships conference (HRPR 2010), Leiden, 23 June 2010

Coeckelbergh, M. 'Hypocriete robots? Over kunstmatigheid, schijn en moraal in het sociale leven', Symposium 'Evolutie van bedrog', USCKI Incognito (Studievereniging voor Kunstmatige Intelligentie, Philosophy Department, Utrecht University), Universiteitsbibliotheek Utrecht, 2 June 2010 (invited speaker)

Coeckelbergh, M. Comments on Moral Machines (Wendell Wallach & Colin Allen), International Association for Computing and Philosophy session (Friday 2 April), American Philosophical Association (APA) 2010 Pacific Division Annual Meeting, San Francisco (US), 31 March - 4 April 2010 [program] (invited speaker)

Coeckelbergh, M. ''Do zombie robots have rights? Towards a social-relational justification of moral consideration', Life and Mind seminar, Centre for Computational Neuroscience and Robotics (CCNR), University of Sussex, Brighton (UK), 27 January 2010 (invited speaker)

Coeckelbergh, M. 'What is it like to be a robot? Natural empathy, artificial companions, and vulnerability mirroring', COGS seminar, Centre for Research in Cognitive Science (COGS), University of Sussex, Brighton (UK), 26 January 2010 (invited speaker)

Coeckelbergh, M. 'Techno-anthropologies: How robots shape our self-understanding as humans', séminaire Phiteco (Philosophie, Technologie, Cognition), Groupe de Recherche C.R.E.D. (Cognitive Research and Enaction Design), Université de Technologie de Compiègne (France), 21 January 2010 (invited speaker)

Coeckelbergh, M. 'Artificial Companions? Empathy and Vulnerability Mirroring in Human-Robot Relations', ICT that makes the difference: The future of Ambient Intelligence and ICT for Security, Brussels (Belgium), 22-25 November 2009

Coeckelbergh, M. 'Joint Human-Robot Action: Virtual Intentionality and Hybrid Human-Robot Cultures', workshop The Challenge of Social Cognition, EUCogII Member's Conference 2009 'Challenges for Artificial Cognitive Systems', Hamburg (Germany), 10-11 October 2009 [workshop talks]

Coeckelbergh, M. 'Moral Responsibility,Technology, and Experiences of the Tragic', conference 'Moral Responsibility: Neuroscience, Organization & Engineering', Delft University of Technology, 24 - 27 August 2009

Coeckelbergh, M. 'Enhancement of What? A Capabilities Approach to Ethics of Human Enhancement', SPT conference 2009 (human enhancement track), Society for Philosophy and Technology,Twente University, 10 July 2009

Coeckelbergh, M. 'Living with Robots: A Social-Philosophical Approach to Robot Ethics', SPT conference 2009 (robotics track), Society for Philosophy and Technology,Twente University, 9 July 2009

Coeckelbergh, M. 'Robot Anthropology: Robots as Hermeneutic Devices for Defining the Human', European Conference on Computing and Philosophy (E-CAP 2009), Universitat Autonoma De Barcelona (Spain), 3 July 2009

Coeckelbergh, M. 'Living in the Eye of the Artificial Other', Eighth International Conference of Computer Ethics (CEPE 2009), Ionian University, Corfu, Greece, 26-28 June 2009

Coeckelbergh, M. 'Humans, Animals, and Robots: A Phenomenological Approach to Human-Robot relations', 2nd International Conference on Human-Robot Personal Relationships, Leiden University, Tilburg University/Leiden University, 11 June 2009

Coeckelbergh, M. 'The Spider and the Web: Emotions, Evolution, and the Ethics of Technological Risk', Philosopher's Rally, Twente University, 13 May 2009 (invited speaker)

Coeckelbergh, M. 'Heath Care, Capabilities, and AI Assistive Technologies', research seminar Philosophy section, Delft University of Technology, 19 January 2009 (invited speaker)

other conference contributions
speaker and invited participant in debate on fashionable technology with artists Aram Bartholl (Germany) and Sabine Seymour (New York). Organised by Rotterdams Denkcafé in collaboration with V2, Institute for the Unstable Media and Studium Generale, Rotterdam, 20 May 2009

invited speaker and participant in panel discussion at the symposium 'Freedom' organised by JOVD, Media Art Café Berlijn, Enschede, 4 April 2009

report on the workshop 'Ethiek en ethische toetsing' which was part of the symposium 'The art of ethics: Over ethici en ethische expertise', NVBe-jubileum symposium, 27 januari 2009

press

'Robotica vanuit een filosofisch perspectief', on-line article on Mark Coeckelbergh's visit to Japan on the PSTS site of the University of Twente and on the 3TU.Ethics site

member scientific committee and organiser panel on 'robots, cyborgs, and artificial life' (with Gianmarco Veruggio), Society for Philosophy and Technology (SPT) conference 2009, Twente University, 8-10 July 2009

chair-commentator at the Society for Applied Philosophy International Congress 2005, St Anne’s College Oxford, 1-3 July 2005

contribution to the organisation of, and reporting on, the workshop Risk Perception and Assessment in Design, Bristol University, 1-2 March 2002

Prizes/Awards

NVBe Prijs 2007 – driejaarlijkse prijs van de Nederlandse Vereniging voor Bio-ethiek (Prize of the Dutch Society for Bio-Ethics) (with Jessica Mesman)

Press

Cited in ‘Filosoferen in de oernatuur’ in Trouw, 17-06-2011

interview about health care in Tubantia, 24 December 2010 [print]

radio interview with funx on the future of robotics, October 2010 [info with link 'download show']

interview in Second Sight, 8 October 2009 (in Dutch) [on-line]

'Robotica vanuit een filosofisch perspectief', on-line article on visit to Japan, PSTS site of the University of Twente [pdf in Dutch] and 3TU.Ethics site

biographical record in Marquis Who's Who in the World (2009 edition and 2010 edition)

'Filosoof, Schilder, Dichter en Musicus' by Jannie Benedictus: article in UT-Nieuws 13 December 2007, weekly journal of the University of Twente (in Dutch) [on-line version]