Call for Papers

SPT 2021: Technological Imaginaries
The Society for Philosophy and Technology
June 28-30
Université Catholique de Lille
Université de Technologie de Compiègne
https://lillethics.com/spt-2021/

Submission deadline: December 1, 2020

THEME: Technological Imaginaries

Technologies are always more than the sum of their mechanical parts. Indeed, technologies are entangled in symbolic forms of a social and cultural nature. Technologies also contribute to the construction of new worldviews and new forms of life. Technological imaginaries are far more than phantasies detached from technological innovation. They are at the heart of innovation itself, of the invention as well as of the implementation and use of technology in our societies.

Technological imaginaries are embodied in the technologies themselves, as well as in norms and social and cultural practices. Technological imaginaries are often crystallized in scientific and non-scientific texts, documents, sounds, and images. They are always distributed on an axis that goes from ideology to utopia. At times, they serve to defend and strengthen the social and cultural status quo. At other times, they announce state of affairs that are not yet present – or never will be. In short, the notion of technological imaginaries places technologies within a wider world, made of nature and matter, but also language, images, ideas, institutions, symbols, intuitions, and dreams.

We invite papers, special tracks, and panel proposals that investigate those areas of the philosophy of technology that are related to the conference theme, technological imaginaries. To give but a few examples:

• Fears and expectations about technology
• Media, communication, and technology
• Language, narrative, and technology
• Cultures and technology
• Forms of life and technology
• Technology and social reality
• Technology and ideology/utopia
• Technology and world pictures
• Technology and alternative futures
• Technology and new relations with the environment
• Fiction and technology
• Video games
• Data and information visualization
• Visualization in science and technology
• Design
• Art and technology

KEYNOTES

Pieter Vermaas (TU Delft)
Bernadette Bensaude-Vincent (Sorbonne University)

IMPORTANT DATES

December 1, 2020: Submission deadline
February 15, 2021: Notification of acceptance
April 15 2021: Registration deadline
June 28-30, 2021: SPT 2021

SUBMT

REGULAR PAPERS:

Submissions that engage in some philosophical aspects of technology are welcomed, including those from disciplines other than philosophy. Submissions of practitioners are also welcomed.

Paper submission should include a title and a 250-300 words abstract.. The document must be in a .doc, .docx., or .odt format.

Only submissions in English are accepted.

Use the form on the conference website and precise in the title “Abstract-Title”

SPECIAL TRACKS:

A special track is an invitation to the scholarly community to submit papers clustered around a specific topic. Those who wish to propose a special track may do so by contacting the conference organizers by September 1, 2020.

A track typically includes about six to twelve papers. Papers submitted to special tracks will be evaluated using the same process as the other papers. Those that are accepted will be included in the event even if they are not selected for the track.

PANELS:

Panels are three or four-person presentations and discussions around a more limited topic than tracks. They fit in one 90-120 minutes slot of the program. Panel proposals should include a title and a 250-500 words abstract, and, for each panelist, title and a short (250 words) abstract.

The scientific committee will evaluate the panel as a whole. Panel organizers are in charge of the selection of their panelists and the evaluation of the abstracts.
Submission deadline: October 15th, 2020

Use the form on the conference website and precise in the title “Panel-Title”

SPT EARLY CAREER AWARDS:

SPT offers the 2021 Early Career Award to an early career scholar (less than 10 years since the PhD, plus parental leaves) whose accepted paper, in the judgment of the SPT Executive Board, best embodies exceptional and innovative work that promises to expand the scope of research in the field.

Early career scholars whose abstract are accepted for SPT 2021 may submit full papers to the SPT Executive Board by April 15, 2021, by email to the President of the SPT p.e.vermaas@tudelft.nl Full papers have (as a norm) a 5000 word count. The winner will be notified by June 1, 2021.

The award includes a 500 USD travel stipend; acceptance implies commitment to delivering the paper at SPT 2021.

SPT GRADUATE STUDENT PAPER AWARDS:

SPT offers the 2021 Graduate Student Paper Award to a graduate student (M.A. student or Ph.D. candidate) whose accepted paper, in the judgment of the SPT Executive Board, best represents SPT’s values of inclusivity, relevance, community, interdisciplinarity, and scholarship.

Graduate students whose abstract are accepted for SPT 2021 may submit full papers to the SPT Executive Board by April 15, 2021, by email to the President of the SPT  p.e.vermaas@tudelft.nl Full papers have (as a norm) a 3000 word count. Co-authored submissions are ineligible for the graduate student paper award unless all authors are graduate students. The winner will be notified by June 1, 2021.

The award includes a 500 USD travel stipend; acceptance implies commitment to delivering the paper at SPT 2021.

COMMITTEES

Organizing committee

• Alberto Romele, UCLille
• David Doat, UCLille
• Emanuele Clarizio, UCLille
• Alain Loute, UCLille
• Xavier Guchet, UTC Compiègne

Contact the Organizing committee

Program committee

Alberto Romele, David Doat, Pieter Vermaas, Shannon Vallor, Sabine Ammon, Naoe Kiyokata, Inmaculada de Melo-Martin