XVIII-2, 2026 – Pragmatism in the Philosophy of Technology. Revisiting Methods and Tools for our Digital Era
Edited by Antje Gimmler (Aalborg University) & Simone Bernardi della Rosa (University of Molise)
The philosophy of technology has witnessed a dynamic shift over recent decades, marked by a growing emphasis on technological practice, concrete artifacts, and situated use. Nevertheless, many longstanding questions persist, often articulated through reductive dichotomies such as technological determinism vs. constructivism; technophobia vs. technophilia, and especially with raising AI and predictive algorithms about the intelligence of the machine and the alienation of the subjects. These oppositional frameworks, however, frequently obscure the complexity of human–technology relations rather than elucidating them. Our aim is to revive and expand the pragmatist approach to technology, driven by the need for a framework capable of moving beyond previously posed (often ill-framed) questions, in order to more effectively analyze interactions with new digital technologies and, more broadly, to understand how to navigate an environment that is increasingly digitally structured.
Indeed, pragmatism is not an entirely new option in the philosophy of technology. Besides reference to the classical pragmatists, a rich foundation already exists through the work of Hickman (1990, 2001), and Pitt (2000), as well as more recent works such as those by Steiner (2010, 2013), Koopman (2019) and Hildebrand (2018, 2023). Furthermore, thinkers like Verbeek and Ihde have referred explicitly to pragmatism in their works and in the development of post phenomenology (Ihde, 2012). Still, most engagements with pragmatism in this field and in philosophy of technology at large have relied on a limited set of authors and concepts, especially Deweyan philosophy, and related instrumentalist approach or, more recently, on specific theoretical tools such as habit. We believe that much remains to be uncovered and critically re-evaluated. The purpose of this issue is thus to revitalize pragmatist thought in relation to contemporary technological challenges, particularly those emerging from our increasingly daily interaction with digital structures. Pragmatism may offer a third philosophical path, one that navigates between the transcendental critiques of classical philosophy of technology and the methodological immediacy of empirically grounded approaches, which may lack broader conceptual depth.
Therefore, we are interested in a range of topics which may include -but not limited to- reflections both on technological philosophy of classical pragmatists and contemporary pragmatist approach to recent technological issues.
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Reassessing the work of classical pragmatist philosophers in relation to the development of technology (eg. Peirce’s role in the debate on automation and logical machines).
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The role of pragmatist core concepts such as habit, inquiry, experience etc. in contemporary digital environments.
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A possible pragmatist critique of the AI debate beyond the question about the intelligence of the machine.
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Pragmatism approach to technology as a theoretically developed alternative between classical transcendentalist and empirical approaches.
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The relationship between pragmatism and postphenomenology: Are they complementary, or do they still reveal some tensions? Could the integration of pragmatism offer a broader conceptual grounding that not only supports but also enriches postphenomenology’s focus on technologically mediated, situated experience (Hickman, 2008)?
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Pragmatist critical methods which may broaden the debate on the ‘ethics of technology’ by emphasizing it not as a static framework applied retroactively, but rather a living, evolving inquiry grounded in practice and experience.
All contributions must be prepared for blind review and submitted by March 30, 2026, to both editors.
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Antje Gimmler: gimmler[at]ikl.aau.dk
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Simone Bernardi della Rosa: simone.bernardidellarosa[at]unimol.it
The symposium is scheduled for publication in issue 2/2026. Submissions must not exceed 8,000 words (including notes and references). Papers must be prepared in accordance with the journal’s guidelines. Please note that linguistic revision is mandatory for all accepted papers by non-native English speakers as a condition for publication.