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