TECHNOLOGY IN THE AGE OF INFORMATION



CALL FOR PAPERS

TECHNOLOGY IN THE AGE OF INFORMATION
18th International Conference of the Society for Philosophy and Technology ISEG, Technical University of Lisbon, Portugal July 4-6, 2013 Special Corporate Workshop July 3, 2013


The School of Economics and Management (ISEG-UTL) and the SOCIUS
research centre at the Technical University of Lisbon and the Institute
of Social Sciences of the University of Lisbon (ICS-UL) are organising
the 18th Biennial International Conference of the Society for Philosophy
and Technology (SPT), which will be held July 4 - 6, 2013, at the
ISEG-UTL. On the early evening before, July 3 from 3-7 pm, the
conference will also co-host a special corporate workshop.

The SPT 2013 theme is Technology in the Age of Information. A main aim
of the conference is to encourage debate on the cultural, social,
economic, political and ethical implications of advances in information
and media technology. Digital networks and computerized technological
systems have enlarged the domain of human technological action and
responsibility, which raises new questions about the impacts of
globalization and of the expanding information economy on the public and
cultural spheres. A challenge facing the philosophy of technology and
STS disciplines is to reflect upon our changed human condition and
propose new ways to think through the quandaries technologies generate.

Reflecting on the emergence of information and communication
technologies (ICTs), several questions may be raised: How do our lives
change in an information society? What role do ICTs play in culture,
politics, or social revolutions? How do ICTs shape the global economy?
What new challenges do ICTs present to the public sphere and to
individual privacy? How do ICTs affect human cognition and aesthetic
sensibilities? How are ICT converging with nano and biotechnologies? Do
ICTs stimulate ideas of new technological utopias? Many other topics can
be addressed and are welcome!

As in previous SPT conferences, contributions from a variety of
disciplines are
encouraged. Bringing together scholars and practitioners from a wide
spectrum of fields, who focus on understanding the relationship of
technology and the human condition is a goal of the conference.
Showcasing contributions from philosophers, social scientist, natural
scientists, engineers, and policy makers, SPT conferences provide lively
and thought-provoking interdisciplinary discussion.

The list of tracks outlined below is suggestive of the topics that will
be considered, but does by no means restrict them:

1 - ICTs 1: globalization, informational economy, and commodification
2 - ICTs 2: control, discrimination, and surveillance
3 - ICTs 3: Webs, imaginaries, and utopias
4 - ICTs 4: new media, public sphere, and democracy
5 - ICTs 5: politics, alternatives and revolutions,
6 - Consumption and mobile lifestyles
7 - Informatics, nano- and bio-technological convergences
8 - Materiality and immateriality in the digital era
9 - Information and aesthetics
10 - Reflective engineering and systems (Co-sponsored with Forum
Philosophy, Engineering, and Technology; and Council of Engineering
Systems)
11 - Philosophy of engineering and design
12 - Phenomenology of technology
13 - Ethics, politics, and the good life
14 - Environment, sustainability, and risks
15 - Technology, gender, and culture
16 - Technological Innovation
17 - Technology and critical thinking
18 - Philosophy of technology and social sciences

Submissions
Abstracts should be submitted by February 1, 2013. They must be between
500 and 750 words in length (references excluded) and submitted via
email as embedded plain text or an attachment in RTF, WORD, or PDF
format. Abstracts will be subject to blind refereeing. They should
include the name(s) of author(s), affiliation(s), contact details and
the paper title. They should also contain the number and name of the
track to which the abstract is submitted.
If an abstract does not seem to fit with any topic, simply note that
with the submission. All submissions are welcome, and authors should not
feel constrained by the topics. Identification information will be then
removed during the review process. For this reason, abstracts should not
contain author-identifying references.
Authors of accepted abstracts are kindly invited to submit full
versions of their papers (8,000-10,000 words) until May 31, 2013, for
publication in a digital support (Pen Drive or CD-ROM) to be distributed
to conference attendees. This Pen Drive/CD-ROM will also include the
abstracts.

Proposals for panels should also be submitted by February 1, 2013. They
will also be refereed. Panel proposals must be between 500 and 1,000
words in length, they much include a brief description of the general
topic and an outline of the issues to be addressed, as well as a short
biography of all the panelists.

Notification of acceptance for all submissions will be no later than
March 8, 2013.
All submissions should be sent by email in Word or rtf format to
spt2013@iseg.utl.pt (write [your last name] SPT abstract OR Panel in the
subject line).

More information about the conference at http://www.spt2013.com


Keynote Speakers and Plenary Sessions: TBA

Important Dates
Deadline to submit abstracts and panel proposals is February 1, 2013.
Notification of Acceptance will be no later than March 8, 2013.
Deadline to submit final papers is May 31, 2013.
Conference is on July 4-6, 2013.


Additional Information
Corporate Workshop
With the topic, Connecting Technology and Responsibility, this
corporate workshop will unite SPT 2013 and CEPE 2013 conferences
participants in a stimulating debate with ICT companies regarding the
potential ethical quandaries that their products raise. The corporate
workshop will be held on July, 3rd, 2013, from 3 to 7 p.m. at ISEG. The
keynote speaker of this Workshop will be Professor Simon Rogerson, De
Montfort University, UK Professor Rogerson will speak about his research
on computing and social responsibility.

CEPE 2013 conference is hosted by UAL, July 1-3, 2013 with the topic
Ambiguous Technologies: Philosophical Issues, Practical Solutions, Human
Nature. CEPE is an important worldwide forum that debates ICT
philosophical issues in society through the lens of information and
computer ethics. See CEPE important dates for abstracts/papers at:

Important Note 1: To be a participant at this Corporate Workshop, you
must be registered for SPT 2013 or CEPE 2013 conferences.

Important Note 2: Participants who attend both conferences will have
reduced fees. More information about registration fees will soon be
available on the conference website.


José Luís Garcia, President of SPT 2013
ICS - University of Lisbon
Av. Prof. Anibal de Bettencourt, 9
1600-189 Lisboa, Portugal


Helena Jerónimo, Vice-president of SPT 2013
ISEG & SOCIUS - School of Economics and Management
Technical University of Lisbon
Rua Miguel Lupi, 20
1249-078 Lisboa, Portugal