LAST NIGHT, THE PRESTIGIOUS WORLD TECHNOLOGY AWARD 2016 WAS AWARDED TO PETER-PAUL VERBEEK, PROFESSOR IN PHILOSOPHY OF TECHNOLOGY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TWENTE.
The awards in the different categories were presented at a conference of the World Technology Network in Los Angeles. Verbeek, who was not able to attend the award ceremony, was one of the five nominees in the Ethics category. Besides eternal fame, the award will provide access to an interesting network of leading experts in the field of technology.
RECOGNITION
"The award is a great recognition for the work we perform at the University of Twente", Peter-Paul Verbeek states. "Not only for me, but for the whole group of experts at our university working on the cutting edge of research, design and ethics. Our approach has been recognized as leading worldwide, which is a great result of our efforts to connect ethics and technology within the DesignLab. In that sense, it is a great reward for everything we have achieved within the DesignLab approach."
WORLD TECHNOLOGY AWARD
The World Technology Awards are presented annually since 2000 to prominent persons who have contributed greatly to the application and further development of science and technology. The award is presented in a number of different categories, such as culture, health and medicine, social entrepreneurship and policy. An overview of this years' winners can be found on the website of the WTN.
About Peter-Paul Verbeek
Peter-Paul Verbeek is professor of Philosophy of Technology at the University of Twente. His research focuses on the relations between humans and technology, and contributes to philosophical theory, ethical reflection, and design practice. Earlier this year, Verbeek became a member of COMEST, the UNESCO World Commission on the Ethics of Scientific Knowledge and Technology. This commission advices on ethical issues regarding science and technology, such as environmental problems and climate change, the social role of robotics, the technologies of the information society, and scientific integrity.
In 2014, he received a VICI award of €1.500.000 to investigate the role of technology in knowledge, morality, and religion. He is the author of What Things Do: Philosophical Reflections on Technology, Agency, and Design (2005) and Moralizing Technology: Understanding and Designing the Morality of Things (2011). More information: www.ppverbeek.nl.
