Philosophy of Technology and Design: Shaping the Relations Between Humans and Technologies (FutureLearn)

In this course you will get acquainted with some key approaches in philosophy of technology and design. The course focuses on the relations between humans and technologies. You will learn how philosophy can help us understand the social implications of technologies. And you will find out how to apply these insights in the practice of design.

Syllabus

Week 1: Classical Philosophy of Technology

Week 2: Technological mediation

Week 3: Moralising things

Week 4: Ethics of AI

Learning on this course

You can take this self-guided course and learn at your own pace. On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?

- Evaluate some classical thinkers in philosophy of technology.

- Reflect on the power of technology: are humans still in control?

- Explore the contemporary philosophical approach of technological mediation.

- Engage in case studies to get insights in the impact of technology on society and human life.

- Debate the ethical dimension of technology and apply this to design.

- Discuss the ethical limits of designing technologies that influence our behaviour.

Who is the course for?

This course has been created for anyone interested in the relations between technology and society, and in particular for people working or studying in philosophy, engineering, design, social science and policy. The course might be specifically relevant to those interested in what philosophical analysis can contribute to the practice of design, engineering, and policy-making.