Philosophy x Design: Practical Turn

Just before Christmas 2025, a new publication: Design x Philosophy: a practical turn in the philosophy of technology (W. Eggink, & S. Dorrestijn). In F. Secomandi & P. Verbeek (eds.), Design Philosophy after the Technology Turn (pp. 115–137). London: Bloomsbury Visual Arts. (Open access: http://dx.doi.org/10.5040/9781350494480.ch-7)

Wouter Eggink and I have been working together for years to link design and philosophy of technology, employing the philosophy of Human-Technology Relations and the Product Impact Tool. In 2018, we presented a paper in which we called our approach a “practical turn” in the philosophy of technology (Wouter’s good idea). In recent years, our approach has been further expanded. In the Ethics & Technology research group, we developed the Ethical Parallel Track and the Ethical Readiness Check. (See the booklet in Dutch Ethiek & Technologie, maar dan praktisch). And we collaborated in the TechWise programme to elaborate this practical turn in education. Teaching provided new examples of application. We bring these elaborations of the approach and examples, from Wouter’s teaching especially, together in this new publication.