Andreas Spahn — Eindhoven University of Technology research portal

Personal profile

Quote

Ethics of technology is not only about avoiding “bad” outcomes. We should also focus on the positive: how to innovate technologies that contribute to the good life and enhance social values?

Research profile

Andreas Spahn is an assistant professor with the Philosophy& Ethics research group at the department of Industrial Engineering & Innovation Sciences. His research focusses on ethics of technology, particularly ethics of energy technologies. He has worked and published on ethics of behavior change technologies and persuasive technologies, ethics of energy systems, and environmental ethics.

The transition towards sustainability requires both technological innovations and a change of user behavior. How can we design technologies in a way that they meet our social values, such as sustainability and well-being? How can we persuade users to change their behavior? What are the ethical limits to technological persuasion?

Academic background

Andreas Spahn studied at the University of Essen (Germany) and at the University of Notre-Dame (Indiana, USA). In 2007, after obtaining his doctorate at the Ruhr-Universität-Bochum (Germany), Dr. Spahn moved to Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e, the Netherlands), where he was appointed as assistant professor with the Philosophy& Ethics research group at the department of Industrial Engineering & Innovation Sciences. He is the author of many articles and book chapters on ethics of technology, ethics of behavior change and environmental ethics.

He has contributed to numerous research projects on persuasive technologies (NWO 2009-2013; NWO 2013-2014), energy technologies (NWO 2011-2015; 2014-current), and questions of co-creation in energy technologies (EU Horizon 2020, 2018-current). The Horizon 2020 project SCALINGS investigates the role that moral values play in co-creation processes of urban energy technologies. Dr. Spahn was member of the management team of 4TU.Ethics (2014-2017) is currently chairing the taskforce sustainability of 4TU.Ethics.

Projects 2009 2021

2 Finished
3 Active

Scaling up Co-creation: Avenues and Limits for Integrating Society in Science and Innovation

Bombaerts, G., Bombaerts, G., van der Avoird, M., Vereggen - Tielemans, T., Vereggen - Tielemans, T., Tsui, S., Astola, M., Laes, E., Wieczorek, A., Spahn, A., Benckhuijsen - Mertens, P., Reymen, I. & Royakkers, L.

1/05/18 → 31/07/21

Project: Research direct

Impuls projects between TU Eindhoven, RWS, and PON

Oldenziel, R., Oldenziel, R., Dekker, H., Petzer, B., Bek, P., Sun, Q., Jeekel, H., Verbong, G., Veraart, F., Wieczorek, A., Spahn, A., Kalmbach, K., Jansen, R., Vereggen - Tielemans, T., Benckhuijsen - Mertens, P. & Vereggen - Tielemans, T.

16/12/15 → 31/12/20

Project: Research direct

Developing and Implementing Smart Grids in India

Spahn, A., Höffken, J., Kumar, A., Gerrits, E., Jansen, R., Vereggen - Tielemans, T., Vereggen - Tielemans, T. & Wieczorek, A.

1/05/15 → 31/01/20

Project: Research direct

Wise Choices and Smart Savings: Effectiveness and Acceptability of Persuasive technology for Household Energy Saving (MORALPT)

Zaitouni, R., Spahn, A. & Dohmen, R.

31/01/13 → 31/01/14

Project: Research direct

Persuasive technology allocation of control, and social values

Zaitouni, R., Spahn, A., Sartorius - ter Haar, M., Dohmen, R., Dohmen, R. & Smids, J.

1/10/09 → 31/10/14

Project: Research direct

Research Output 2007 2018

58 Citations
17 Chapter
6 Article
3 Conference contribution
2 Book editing
5 More

"The first generation to end poverty and the last to save the planet?"-Western individualism, human rights and the value of nature in the ethics of global sustainable development

Spahn, A., 3 Jun 2018, In : Sustainability. 10, 6, 16 p., 1853

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic › peer-review

Open Access

File

individualism

first generation

Planets

human rights

ethics

3 Citations

Design for the values of democracy and justice

Pols, A. J. K. & Spahn, A., 2015, Handbook of Ethics, Values and Technology Design. Hoven, van den, J., Vermaas, P. & Poel, van de, I. (eds.). Dordrecht: Springer, p. 335-363 29 p.

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › Academic › peer-review

justice

democracy

Values

theory of democracy

energy technology

7 Citations

Why and how should we represent future generations in policymaking?

Beyleveld, D., Düwell, M. & Spahn, A., 2015, In : Jurisprudence. 6, 3, p. 549-566

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic › peer-review

human rights

uncertainty

human being

present

Can technology make us happy? : ethics, spectator's happiness and the value of achievement

Spahn, A., 2015, Well-being in contemporary society. Søraker, J. H., Rijt, van der, J-W., Boer, de, J., Wong, P-H. & Breij, P. (eds.). Dordrecht: Springer, p. 93-113 21 p. (Happiness Studies Book Series)

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › Academic › peer-review

Spectator

Happiness

Moral Point of View

Person

Moral Values

32 Citations