Two research groups at the University of Twente participate in the Master’s programme in Philosophy of Science, Technology and Society:
Philosophy
The Philosophy (WIJSB) research group focuses on the philosophical and ethical aspects of technology and engineering science. Its research concentrates on three themes:
- Ethics of Technology focuses on normative, evaluative and critical issues in relation to technology and society. It investigates what good technology is and how both society and engineering practices should be organised in order to produce technology that is ethically and politically acceptable.
- Philosophy of Human-Technology Relations examines how technology influences and shapes human nature and human existence. Another important topic of inquiry for this research group is the rapid development of mind- and body-enhancing technologies and their influence on human faculties, such as rationality, self-consciousness, agency and autonomy.
- Philosophy of Science in Practice aims to achieve a better understanding of the internal dynamics of scientific research in the context of technological applications. It focuses not only on how existing knowledge is applied to practical ends, but also on how knowledge itself is fundamentally shaped by its intended use.
KNowledge, transformation & society (kites)
The Science, Technology, and Policy Studies (STePS) research group joined forces with the Center for Higher Education Policy Studies (CHEPS) in 2023 to form a new section named Knowledge, Transformation & Society (KiTeS). Hence, PSTS is now a joint offer by Philosophy and KiTeS.
KiTeS is organized around four cross-cutting themes that inform research, education, and impact:
- Citizen science, co-design, and other participatory approaches to knowledge production
- Evidence-based policy and rethinking knowledge-policy-society relations
- Transforming knowledge for justice and sustainability
- Transforming the university and innovating teaching and learning.
Twente Graduate School
Twente Graduate School (TGS) offers high-quality educational programmes based on subjects closely related to the work of the university’s research institutes and taught and supervised by expert researchers from these same institutes. It offers an increasing variety of integrated Master’s and PhD programmes for outstanding graduate students who are keen to pursue a career in scientific research.
The graduate programmes associated with the Master’s programme in Philosophy of Science, Technology and Society and Ethics and Technology, Governance of Knowledge and Innovation and Human-centred Interaction Technologies.