Tom van Eerde
Student: Philosophy of Science, Technology and Society
WHY DID YOU CHOOSE FOR THE PROGRAMME AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TWENTE?
Tom obtained his BSc in Business Administration from the University of Twente. He is currently enrolled on the MSc in PSTS. “I chose this educational programme because it provides insight into how policy, technology and business are integrated and what the specific background principles are for certain positions. It is the "why" questions, rather than the "how" questions, which are the centre of attention in the PSTS programme.”
“As a social sciences student, the knowledge about a certain subject is often presented as representative of the field. The programme shows that this knowledge has been derived in a certain way using specific methods, contexts and assumptions. This has extensive implications, because a single false or implicit assumption with regard to a theory could impede a desirable outcome. This programme teaches you to gain a deeper understanding of the basic principles underpinning your previous courses, and you learn how to better assess the ways in which this knowledge is constructed.
I believe my PSTS background, in combination with my BSc in Business Administration, will help me to become a better negotiator and manager. I appreciate the diverse backgrounds and insights of the various positions in the debate, and help bring the sides together. The greatest challenge in the near future will be how to bring the different stakeholders together to achieve a certain goal, such as creating a sustainable economy. Bringing stakeholders together is particularly challenging in a society that is becoming increasingly individualistic and which has societal challenges that remain to be addressed.”