The Empirical Turn in the Philosophy of Technology

Book excerpt: Mostly Dutch and American contributors, including professors of philosophy, engineering and technology studies, ethics, international studies, and aerospace engineering, present 13 contributions discussing the development of a more "internally oriented philosophy of technology" emphasizing the ways in which empirical data can be used in ontological, epistemological, ethical, or more general discussions in the philosophy of technology. Contributions attempt to show that the methodology of using empirical data in a philosophical analysis needs further reflection, in particular the criteria for selecting good case studies. Most of the papers in this volume were presented at a 1998 workshop held in Delft, The Netherlands, after which the volume is titled. Lacks a subject index. c. Book News Inc.