Projects per year
Personal profile
Quote
“Technology is not the collection of the latest gadgets. It consists of actions by which humans have, for ages, changed their lives and the world around them.”
Research profile
Wybo Houkes (1971) is professor in the philosophy of science and technology and chair of the Philosophy & Ethics group at TU/e. His research interests include: philosophy of technical artifacts, theories of cultural evolution, the philosophy of scientific modeling, and analyses of technological knowledge. His prior research, in the “Dual Nature of Technical Artefacts” program at Delft, resulted in the ICE-theory of technical functions, and analyses of use and design rooted in the philosophy of mind and action. In later projects, he studied what might distinguish science and engineering; and to what extent technological may be regarded as an evolutionary process – in disciplines as diverse as archaeology, organization studies, and electrical engineering. One of his main current interests is in the conceptual foundations of cultural-evolutionary theory. At TU/e, his courses look at the evolutionary foundations for innovation sciences; quantitative risk analysis; and philosophical issues arising in engineering, the social sciences, and modelling practices.
Academic background
Wybo Houkes received his PhD in philosophy at Leiden University (2000), after studying theoretical physics in Amsterdam and philosophy in Leiden. He was one of the principal researchers in the NWO research program ‘The Dual Nature of Technical Artefacts’ (Delft, 2000-2004) and joined Eindhoven's philosophy group in 2001. He became associate professor in 2009, and was appointed as chair of the Philosophy & Ethics group in 2015.
At TU/e, he was associate editor of ‘The ontology and epistemology of artefacts’ in the Handbook of Philosophy of Science: Philosophy of Technology and Engineering Sciences (Elsevier, 2009). In 2008, he became a VIDI laureate for the program ‘Darwinism in the Human-Made World’, in which he was principal investigator until 2013. In the academic year 2015-2016, he was a fellow in the research group ‘The Ethics of Copying’ at the ZiF in Bielefeld.
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
Projects
- 1 Finished
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Norms in Knowledge
Royakkers, L. M. M. (Project member), Houkes, W. (Project member) & Vaesen, K. (Project member)
1/09/03 → 1/04/09
Project: Research direct
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Pluralism on artefact categories : a philosophical defense
Houkes, W. N. & Vermaas, P. E., 2013, In: Review of Philosophy and Psychology. 4, 3, p. 543-557 15 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic › peer-review
6 Citations (Scopus)2 Downloads (Pure) -
Robust! : handle with care
Houkes, W. N. & Vaesen, K., 2012, In: Philosophy of Science. 79, 3, p. 345-364 20 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic › peer-review
13 Citations (Scopus)2 Downloads (Pure) -
Technical functions : on the use and design of artefacts
Houkes, W. N. & Vermaas, P. E., 2010, Berlin: Springer. 175 p. (Philosophy of engineering and technology; vol. 1)Research output: Book/Report › Book › Academic
30 Citations (Scopus) -
The nature of technological knowledge
Houkes, W. N., 2009, Philosophy of Technology and Engineering Sciences. Meijers, A. W. M. (ed.). Amsterdam: Elsevier, p. 309-350 41 p. (Handbook of the Philosophy of Science; vol. 9).Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › Academic
58 Citations (Scopus)1 Downloads (Pure) -
Design and use as plans: an action-theoretical account
Houkes, W. N., Vermaas, P. E., Dorst, C. H. & Vries, de, M. J., 2002, In: Design Studies. 23, 3, p. 303-320Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic › peer-review
78 Citations (Scopus)
Prizes
Activities
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Design Science (Journal)
Houkes, W. (Peer reviewer)
2019Activity: Publication peer-review and editorial work types › Publication peer-review › Scientific
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Review of Philosophy and Psychology (Journal)
Houkes, W. N. (Peer reviewer)
2019Activity: Publication peer-review and editorial work types › Publication peer-review › Scientific
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Functions and the Aesthetics of Technical Artefacts
Houkes, W. (Speaker)
19 Sept 2018Activity: Talk or presentation types › Contributed talk › Scientific
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German Research Foundation (External organisation)
Houkes, W. (Advisor)
19 Jun 2018Activity: Membership types › Membership of committee › Scientific
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European Society for Philosophy of Science 2017 (Event)
Houkes, W. (Member)
2017Activity: Membership types › Membership of committee › Scientific
Courses
Press/Media
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Waarom sommige promovendi overwegen te stoppen
Kis, A., Tur, E. M., Lakens, D., Vaesen, K. & Houkes, W. N.
11/11/22
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Research
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Why some PhD students may decide to leave academia
Kis, A., Tur, E. M., Lakens, D., Houkes, W. N. & Vaesen, K.
10/11/22
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Research
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Confrontation with dubious research practices makes PhD students drop out faster
Kis, A., Tur, E. M., Lakens, D., Vaesen, K. & Houkes, W. N.
16/03/21
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Research