3TU.Ethics

The 3TU.Centre for Ethics and Technology (3TU.Ethics) studies ethical issues in the development, use and regulation of technology. The philosophy departments of Delft, Eindhoven and Twente, that together form 3TU.Ethics, perform excellent research in the area of philosophy and technology. 3TU.Ethics is one of the six Centres of excellence within the 3TU.Federation. Research is focused on three areas: 1. Moral issues in engineering design and R&D 2. Moral issues in the use and regulation of technology 3. Values in engineering and society An important notion in 3TU.Ethics research is that of value-sensitive design. This is an approach to the study of ethics and technology that assumes that the outcome of design processes is not neutral but value laden and that morally relevant considerations inform the shaping of the world of artifacts. A value-sensitive design approach situates moral questions early on in the process of design, development of technologies, systems and research. It proposes rational procedures for designing artifacts under the guidance of ethical values and constraints. For master education, 3TU.Ethics is collaborating with the 2-year master program Philosophy of Science, Technology and Society (PSTS), accredited by the VSNU.