Massimiliano Simons

Massimiliano Simons

@masssimons.bsky.social

Assistant Prof. in Philosophy of Technology Maastricht University, fascinated by #synbio, #experimentation, #historicalepistemology, #HOPOS, #HOPOT, #sciencefiction and #conspiracytheory - he/him

3.1K followers1.7K following351 posts

Massimiliano Simons reposted

Tim Christiaens
@timchristiaens.bsky.social

A defense of Hardt and Negri’s effort in Empire to think global politics from the ground up. Empire is now highly unpopular, but imo that is unjustified. Especially when the alternative is often nostalgia for the industrial working class and mass party. www.historicalmaterialism.org/article/clas...

historicalmaterialism.orgClass Politics beyond Nostalgia: A Reply to David Broder on Hardt and Negri’s 'Empire' - Historical Materialism'Empire' was a striking attempt to understand a world in which the old political map no longer corresponded to the actual organisation of capital and social struggles. It maintained that class struggl...

Massimiliano Simons reposted

Daniel J Nicholson
@djnicholson.bsky.social

What does it mean to say the organism is a SYSTEM? Can we make this concept precise and useful? Paul Weiss showed us how a century ago! In my new paper I recover his neglected systems view & use it to undermine four entrenched theses in biology: reductionism, genocentrism, determinism, & mechanicism

link.springer.comThe Organism as a System: Insights from Paul Weiss - Acta BiotheoreticaDespite the remarkable successes of molecular biology over the past three quarters of a century, there is growing recognition that organisms must be understood as integrated systems if we are to fully...

Massimiliano Simons reposted

James Openshaw
@openshaw.bsky.social

A reminder that NTU Philosophy is hiring! We have 3 tenured/tenure-track openings. Our department is friendly, collaborative, and a great place to do research. Happy to answer questions if you're thinking of applying. Please share with anyone who may be interested. #philjobs #PhilSky #AcademicJobs

Philosophy @ NTU Singapore@nanyang-philosophy.bsky.social

NTU Philosophy is hiring! Three positions! We have updated our Philjobs ads to correct some errors in the previous versions. This one is for an open AOS junior position: philjobs.org/job/show/32401

philjobs.org Assistant Professor (Tenure Track) of Philosophy, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore - PhilJobs:JFP Assistant Professor (Tenure Track) of Philosophy, Nanyang Technological University, Sin...An international database of jobs for philosophers

Massimiliano Simons reposted

Jo Wolff
@jowolff.bsky.social

I read a book review once that said there are basically three types of reactions by reviewers: 1. I wish I’d written this. 2. I could have written this. 3. I’m glad I didn’t write this. Basically the template I have when I read anything.

Massimiliano Simons reposted

Ramón Alvarado
@ramonalvarado.bsky.social

🚨 As President of the International Association for Computing and Philosophy (IACAP), it’s my pleasure to announce that the CfA for our 2027 conference in Noto, Italy is now out. Special interest in #AI, Math, and scientific discovery. #philtech #philsci #aiethics www.iacap.org/2026/10/17/i...

iacap.orgIACAP 2027 – University of Messina in Noto, July 14-16 - International Association for Computing and PhilosophyThe International Association for Computing and Philosophy (IACAP, https://www.iacap.org) is pleased to put out this call for abstracts for its next confere ...

Massimiliano Simons reposted

The HOPOS Journal
@hoposjournal.bsky.social

Our latest issue includes two articles on Pierre Duhem. The first is “Pierre Duhem on Induction and Inference in Scientific Discovery” by Miguel Agustín Aguilar Sandoval of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), Mexico.

Massimiliano Simons
@masssimons.bsky.social

Cannot resist sharing this open PhD position in philosophy of experimentation (on collective decisions about what future large-scale experiments to pursue, particularly within astronomy, astrophysics, and cosmology) #philsci #histsci #sts su.varbi.com/en/what:job/...

su.varbi.comPhD student in Theoretical PhilosophyThe Department of Philosophy at Stockholm University is the largest in Sweden, with vibrant research groups in a wide range of philosophical disciplines. The department has significant strengths in ph

Massimiliano Simons reposted

Alisa Bokulich
@alisabokulich.bsky.social

The submission deadline for the International Society for the History, Philosophy & Social Studies of Biology (ISHPSSB) 2027 conference in Argentina has been extended to *October 29th, 2026* #HPS #STS #HPBio #EvoBio congressin.com/e/ishpssb202...

congressin.comISHPSSB 2027 | CongressInISHPSSB 2027
Alisa Bokulich@alisabokulich.bsky.social

International Society for the History, Philosophy and Social Studies of Biology July 18-23, 2027: ISHPSSB conference in Buenos Aires Argentina 🇦🇷 💃🏻 October 15, 2026: Submissions deadline / Fecha límite para el envío de propuestas #HPS #evobio #paleosky #STS

Massimiliano Simons reposted

Uljana Feest
@ufeest.bsky.social

Day two of the fun and stimulating workshop in interactions between American philosophy and psychology. With great talks by @claudia-cristalli.bsky.social, Alex Klein, and Matthias Neuber #HOPOS #HPS

claudia-cristalli.bsky.social@claudia-cristalli.bsky.social

A few snapshots from today’s talks within the American Realism workshop in Mainz! Featuring Lisa Kampen, Michael Annacker, @sanderverhaegh.bsky.social, and Cornelis Menke. First talk by Gary Hatfield (not pictured). Full program here: american-realism.de/Consciousnes...

Massimiliano Simons reposted

Maria BOO!stillos
@mariabustillos.com

When your dog bites someone you are liable for damages I thought y'all had 'high IQs'

Carl Quintanilla@carlquintanilla.bsky.social

(NYT) - Artificial intelligence agents created by Anthropic, acting on their own, tried to gain access to a range of government websites, filled out visa applications on the State Department’s website and sent a fake homicide tip to Philadelphia’s Police Department. www.nytimes.com/2026/10/09/t...

Massimiliano Simons reposted

claudia-cristalli.bsky.social
@claudia-cristalli.bsky.social

The talk was really good, so the paper should not disappoint — check it out!

Massimiliano Simons@masssimons.bsky.social

🚨New article with Darryl Cressman in Techné: “The Philosophy of Technology is more than Technology: Towards a Framework for the History of the Philosophy of Technology” The starting point is simple question: what does it mean to write history of philosophy of technology? #philtech #hopot #hopos

Massimiliano Simons reposted

Massimiliano Simons
@masssimons.bsky.social

🚨New article with Darryl Cressman in Techné: “The Philosophy of Technology is more than Technology: Towards a Framework for the History of the Philosophy of Technology” The starting point is simple question: what does it mean to write history of philosophy of technology? #philtech #hopot #hopos

Massimiliano Simons reposted

Society for the History of the Philosophy of Technology (HPT)
@hptsociety.bsky.social

New #hopot paper by two of our members: Darryl Cressman and @masssimons.bsky.social, presenting a framework of how to do history of philosophy of technology #philtech #hopos

Massimiliano Simons@masssimons.bsky.social

🚨New article with Darryl Cressman in Techné: “The Philosophy of Technology is more than Technology: Towards a Framework for the History of the Philosophy of Technology” The starting point is simple question: what does it mean to write history of philosophy of technology? #philtech #hopot #hopos

Massimiliano Simons
@masssimons.bsky.social

🚨New article with Darryl Cressman in Techné: “The Philosophy of Technology is more than Technology: Towards a Framework for the History of the Philosophy of Technology” The starting point is simple question: what does it mean to write history of philosophy of technology? #philtech #hopot #hopos

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Massimiliano Simons
@masssimons.bsky.social

This paper is the first of a special issue we are editing on the history of philosophy of technology. There is also already another paper by Xavier Guchet online, one of the keynote speakers of our previous HOPOT conference doi.org/10.5840/tech...

doi.orgTechnology—A Matter of Care: Some Comments on the “Thingly Turn” in the Philosophy of Technology - published on September 18, 2026The “empirical turn” in the philosophy of technology, identified by philosophers in the late 1990s, evolved in a specific direction during the 2000s, when proponents of two major currents in the discipline—postphenomenology and analytic philosophy—set out to develop a “philosophy of technical artifacts.” How can we explain this “thingly turn” in the philosophy of technology, as Peter-Paul Verbeek has termed it? My aim here is to situate this recent shift in the discipline in the long term, by showing that it brings us back to the ancient Greek questioning of technè—a questioning which, I shall try to show, tied technè closely to care. Thus, a “philosophy of technical artifacts” can bring the philosophy of technology into closer dialogue with the ethics of care.
Massimiliano Simons
@masssimons.bsky.social

🚨New article with Darryl Cressman in Techné: “The Philosophy of Technology is more than Technology: Towards a Framework for the History of the Philosophy of Technology” The starting point is simple question: what does it mean to write history of philosophy of technology? #philtech #hopot #hopos

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Massimiliano Simons
@masssimons.bsky.social

The broader proposal is thus methodological: history of philosophy of technology should be history not just of changing technologies, but of the changing conditions under which technology becomes an object of philosophical reflection. The paper is here: doi.org/10.5840/tech...

doi.orgThe Philosophy of Technology is More Than Technology: Towards a Framework for the History of the Philosophy of Technology - published on September 29, 2026We argue that the history of the philosophy of technology is richer than it is given credit for. Expanding the scope of what counts as a philosophy of technology, we move beyond a history of the usual suspects (Marcuse, Heidegger, Ellul) and conventional narratives (classical, empirical), encouraging a more inclusive and wide-ranging discipline. This is not only about tracing otherwise overlooked philosophies of technology. We propose a framework for undertaking systematic research in the history of the philosophy of technology, subjecting philosophies of technology to four questions: how is technology defined (ontology)? How is technology studied (method)? What is the relevance of this philosophy (telos)? And how is the past used to legitimate these questions (history)? Through these questions, we hope to uncover and explore hidden philosophies of technology while also encouraging philosophers to reflect upon their own philosophical presuppositions and potentially opening up new ways to think about technology.
Massimiliano Simons
@masssimons.bsky.social

🚨New article with Darryl Cressman in Techné: “The Philosophy of Technology is more than Technology: Towards a Framework for the History of the Philosophy of Technology” The starting point is simple question: what does it mean to write history of philosophy of technology? #philtech #hopot #hopos

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Massimiliano Simons
@masssimons.bsky.social

We start from this beautiful enigmatic quote from the Dutch catholic philosophers of technology Frans Tellegen, who summarizes the history of philosophy of technology as follows. Do you recognize all the names that he assumes as self-evident?

Massimiliano Simons
@masssimons.bsky.social

It is clear that Tellegen’s history of the field is shaped by his own concerns: a Catholic thinker trying to rethink (Christian) community in a technological society. That agenda, shaped not only how he understood technology, or how he wanted to study it, but also the history he wrote of the field.

Massimiliano Simons
@masssimons.bsky.social

🚨New article with Darryl Cressman in Techné: “The Philosophy of Technology is more than Technology: Towards a Framework for the History of the Philosophy of Technology” The starting point is simple question: what does it mean to write history of philosophy of technology? #philtech #hopot #hopos

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Massimiliano Simons
@masssimons.bsky.social

Qua ontology, for example, we distinguish between at least three models: seeing technology as concrete artefacts (empirical turn, Simondon); seeing it as the underlying logic shaping society (Ellul, Heidegger); or seeing it the anthropology resulting in technical action (Scheler, Bergson, Dewey)

Massimiliano Simons
@masssimons.bsky.social

This also gives us a way to go beyond familiar narratives about the field. As we argue, the field has a richer history that often assumed. One should be sceptical of common narrative such as that of a recent empirical turn, or one where modern technology somehow makes older perspectives obsolete.

Massimiliano Simons
@masssimons.bsky.social

🚨New article with Darryl Cressman in Techné: “The Philosophy of Technology is more than Technology: Towards a Framework for the History of the Philosophy of Technology” The starting point is simple question: what does it mean to write history of philosophy of technology? #philtech #hopot #hopos

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Massimiliano Simons
@masssimons.bsky.social

As a framework, we propose four questions: 1. Ontology: how does a philosophy define its object “technology”? 2. Method: How should this object be investigated? 3. Telos: Why is it worthwhile to focus on this object? 4. History: What historical narrative does it tell to make itself self-evident?

Massimiliano Simons
@masssimons.bsky.social

These questions reveal that two philosophies might both investigate industrialization or AI while understanding its nature differently, investigating it through different methods, pursuing different goals, and placing it within very different histories.

Massimiliano Simons
@masssimons.bsky.social

🚨New article with Darryl Cressman in Techné: “The Philosophy of Technology is more than Technology: Towards a Framework for the History of the Philosophy of Technology” The starting point is simple question: what does it mean to write history of philosophy of technology? #philtech #hopot #hopos

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Massimiliano Simons
@masssimons.bsky.social

Our central claim is that history of philosophy of technology should historicize not only the technologies we discuss, but also the philosophical frameworks through which those objects become intelligible as “technology.” In other words: the philosophy of technology is more than technology.

Massimiliano Simons
@masssimons.bsky.social

Philosophers of technology like to stress contingency: technologies are have no timeless essence, but are the product of the societies in which they took shape. Why would the same not apply to the *philosophies*? Ways of looking at the world are as contingent as the technologies themselves!

Massimiliano Simons
@masssimons.bsky.social

🚨New article with Darryl Cressman in Techné: “The Philosophy of Technology is more than Technology: Towards a Framework for the History of the Philosophy of Technology” The starting point is simple question: what does it mean to write history of philosophy of technology? #philtech #hopot #hopos

Massimiliano Simons
@masssimons.bsky.social

The obvious answer is to map how philosophers respond to machines, industrialization, automation, AI, etc. But this risks missing an important point: philosophies of technology are themselves historical. They change, develop, and respond to particular intellectual and historical circumstances.

Massimiliano Simons
@masssimons.bsky.social

Interesting, but I do wonder whether 'philosophers' here means a particular type/tradition of philosophy (Anglophone)

Experimental Philosophy@xphilosopher.bsky.social

There has been a huge amount of experimental philosophy research on the concept of KNOWLEDGE This research finds that the ordinary concept doesn’t work at all the way philosophers said it does A thread with some examples: 🧵

Massimiliano Simons reposted

The Ramsey Lab
@theramseylab.bsky.social

Are you interested in the past, present & future of Artificial Life (ALife) as a scientific field? 🚨 We are hosting an interdisciplinary minisymposium this December, so send us your work & come along! Please share widely! 🔗 hiw.kuleuven.be/clps/events/... #philsci #academicsky #evobio #AI #HPS

Massimiliano Simons reposted

Tressie McMillan Cottom
@tressiemcphd.bsky.social

Technology enthusiasts severely overestimate the average person’s desire or willingness or capacity to build and use AI agents. I understand some work roles that could mandate or encourage it but that is no way a tech revolution. Agents are best for structured, clearly delineated tasks.

Massimiliano Simons reposted

Will Stronge
@wstronge.bsky.social

In this piece, which is slightly longer than I originally intended, I try and provoke some ideas around what higher education learning could look like in an age of ubiquitous AI (whether big tech version or open source version).

The Autonomy Institute@autonomy-institute.bsky.social

NEW | On the Autonomy blog, @wstronge.bsky.social proposes we rethink the role of higher education in the wake of artificial intelligence 👇 autonomy.work/portfolio/ai...

autonomy.workAI is forcing us to rethink higher education: let’s do thatAfter the widespread uptake of AI, how should we approach the task of higher education?

Massimiliano Simons reposted

Society for the History of the Philosophy of Technology (HPT)
@hptsociety.bsky.social

New article in history of philosophy of technology in science: experimentation! #philsci #philtech

Massimiliano Simons@masssimons.bsky.social

1/ 🧵 The history of the philosophy of experimentation isn't really just a history of what philosophers have said about experiments. In a new #HOPOS paper, I argue that it is also a history of what philosophers thought philosophy of science itself was *for*. #philsci

Massimiliano Simons reposted

The HOPOS Journal
@hoposjournal.bsky.social

Our Fall issue has just published! HOPOS volume 16, number 2 includes articles on evolutionary thinking east and west, two each on Kant and Duhem, the philosophy of experimentation, the Copenhagen Interpretation of QM, and constructive empiricism.

Massimiliano Simons reposted

Pieter T. L. Beck
@ptrbck.bsky.social

A good day for the Ghent HOPOS-tradition (I take the liberty of considering @masssimons.bsky.social as part of that tradition, I don't think he will mind?)

Massimiliano Simons@masssimons.bsky.social

14/END And finally: I am perhaps even more proud that my article is in the same issue as the fabulous article that @mvandyck.bsky.social wrote on Bas van Fraassen his constructive empiricism - definitely also work checking out! www.journals.uchicago.edu/toc/hopos/cu...

journals.uchicago.eduUniversity of Chicago Press Journals: Cookie absent