[PHILOS-L] CfP Democratic Technology? Technical Democracy? - Deadline Extension!
Jörn Wiengarn
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Technological developments permeate all areas of social life. Time and again, they challenge the limits of democratic structures, values, and processes – while, at the same time, opening up new possibilities for participation, transparency, and collective decision-making. The relationship between democracy and technology is a reciprocal one: Technologies influence political decision-making, forms of participation, and the public sphere, while democratic norms and institutions shape the development, regulation, and use of technological systems.
At present, these questions are discussed primarily with regard to the consequences of the increasing use of digital technologies – particularly in relation to social media and algorithmic decision-making processes. How are democratic debates and decisions transformed when they are fueled by likes, memes, and deep fakes? And what might a form of iquid democracy look like? The conference seeks to engage with these pressing contemporary issues while, at the same, time broadening the perspective: It aims to inquire more fundamentally into the relationship between technological conditions and democratic processes.
From both a historical and systematic perspective, this draws attention to the relationship between poiesis and praxis: To what extent must democratic practices themselves be technically and medially produced? And to what extent does the specific shape of a democratic form of life always also depend on its technical formation?
At present, the democratization of technological development is being programmatically pursued under the banner of open science and innovation, while warnings are voiced against the looming disempowerment of democratic self-understanding through artificial intelligence. Against this backdrop, the Jahrbuch Technikphilosophie, in cooperation with the journal Technikgeschichte, seeks to explore the less illuminated dimensions of the interplay between technology and democracy. In light of Eisenhower’s 1961 warning about the democracy-threatening potential of the military-industrial complex, the question continues to arise whether certain technologies might be inherently more open to democratic forms than others. We invite contributions that engage with the technicity of democratic processes.
The papers will be presented and discussed at an international conference to be held from 16–18 September 2026 at the High-Performance Computing Center Stuttgart (HLRS), University of Stuttgart, Germany.
Confirmed keynote speakers include Stefan Böschen (RWTH Aachen University), Sheila Jasanoff (Harvard University), Nadja Mazouz (ETH Zurich), and Ortwin Renn (RIFS Potsdam).
Interested authors are invited to submit their proposals by 31 March 2026 in the form of a thematic abstract of at least 300 words. Promising submissions will benefit from preparatory discussions and critical exchange in the context of the conference. Notifications of acceptance will be sent out by June 2026.
Submissions are also welcome independently of conference participation. In all cases, papers submitted or revised by 15 December 2026 will undergo peer review for possible publication in the Jahrbuch Technikphilosophie 2027.
Please send your submissions and any inquiries to: jahr...@phil.tu-darmstadt.de
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Jörn Wiengarn
CAUTION: This email originated outside of the University. Do not click links unless you can verify the source of this email and know the content is safe. Check sender address, hover over URLs, and don't open suspicious email attachments. |
Technological developments permeate all areas of social life. Time and again, they challenge the limits of democratic structures, values, and processes – while, at the same time, opening up new possibilities for participation, transparency, and collective decision-making. The relationship between democracy and technology is a reciprocal one: Technologies influence political decision-making, forms of participation, and the public sphere, while democratic norms and institutions shape the development, regulation, and use of technological systems.
At present, these questions are discussed primarily with regard to the consequences of the increasing use of digital technologies – particularly in relation to social media and algorithmic decision-making processes. How are democratic debates and decisions transformed when they are fueled by likes, memes, and deep fakes? And what might a form of iquid democracy look like? The conference seeks to engage with these pressing contemporary issues while, at the same, time broadening the perspective: It aims to inquire more fundamentally into the relationship between technological conditions and democratic processes.
At present, the democratization of technological development is being programmatically pursued under the banner of open science and innovation, while warnings are voiced against the looming disempowerment of democratic self-understanding through artificial intelligence. Against this backdrop, the Jahrbuch Technikphilosophie, in cooperation with the journal Technikgeschichte, seeks to explore the less illuminated dimensions of the interplay between technology and democracy. In light of Eisenhower’s 1961 warning about the democracy-threatening potential of the military-industrial complex, the question continues to arise whether certain technologies might be inherently more open to democratic forms than others. We invite contributions that engage with the technicity of democratic processes.
The papers will be presented and discussed at an international conference to be held from 16-18 September 2026 at the High-Performance Computing Center Stuttgart (HLRS), University of Stuttgart, Germany.
Confirmed keynote speakers include Stefan Böschen (RWTH Aachen University), Sheila Jasanoff (Harvard University), Nadja Mazouz (ETH Zurich), and Ortwin Renn (RIFS Potsdam).
Interested authors are invited to submit their proposals by 31 March 2026 in the form of a thematic abstract of at least 300 words. Promising submissions will benefit from preparatory discussions and critical exchange in the context of the conference. Notifications of acceptance will be sent out by June 2026.
Submissions are also welcome independently of conference participation. In all cases, papers submitted or revised by 15 December 2026 will undergo peer review for possible publication in the Jahrbuch Technikphilosophie 2027.
Please send your submissions and any inquiries to: jahr...@phil.tu-darmstadt.de