Paul T Durbin

Home

  CV   Writing  

 


Curriculum Vitae

Emeritus Professor,
Philosophy Department and
Center for Energy and Environmental Policy, College of Human Resources, Education, and Public Policy
University of Delaware

Born, Louisville, KY 7/6/33

Education:

• Ph.D. (philosophy of science), 1966, Aquinas Institute;
• M.A. (philosophy), 1962, Catholic University of America;
• S.T.L.(Roman Catholic theology), 1961, Dominican Pontifical Faculty, Washington, D.C.;
• B.A. (philosophy), 1957, Providence College

Previous Teaching:

• Lincoln University, PA, 1968-69;
• St. Stephen's College, MA, 1962-64 and 1966-68

Major Publications:

Books:

Logic and Scientific Inquiry (Milwaukee: Bruce, 1968)

Philosophy of Science: An Introduction (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1968)

Human Intelligence, vol. 12 of new translation of St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa theologiae (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1968)

Dictionary of Concepts in Philosophy of Science (Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1988)

Social Responsibility in Science, Technology, and Medicine (Bethlehem, PA: Lehigh University Press, 1992)

Edited volumes:

Research in Philosophy & Technology, vols. 1-8 and supplement (Greenwich, CT: JAI Press, 1978-1985)

A Guide to the Culture of Science, Technology, and Medicine (New York: Free Press, 1980; paperback ed., 1984)

(Co-edited with Friedrich Rapp) Technikphilosophie in der Diskussion (Wiesbaden: Vieweg, 1982)

(Co-edited with Friedrich Rapp) Philosophy & Technology (Boston Studies in the Philosophy of Science, vol. 80; Philosophy and

Technology Series, vol.1: Dordrecht: D. Reidel, 1983)

Technology and Responsibility (Philosophy and Technology, vol. 3; Dordrecht: D. Reidel, 1987)

Technology and Contemporary Life (P&T, vol. 4; Dordrecht: Reidel, 1988)

The Best in the Literature of Science, Technology, and Medicine (Reader's Adviser, 13th ed., vol. 5; Bowker, 1988)

Philosophy of Technology: Practical, Historical and Other Dimensions (P&T, vol. 6; Dordrecht: Kluwer, 1989)

Broad and Narrow Interpretations of Philosophy of Technology (P&T, vol. 7; Dordrecht: Kluwer, 1990)

Critical Perspectives on Nonacademic Science and Engineering (Bethlehem, PA: Lehigh University Press, 1991)

Europe, America, and Technology: Philosophical Perspectives (P&T, vol. 8; Dordrecht: Kluwer, 1991)

(Co-edited with Jorge Martinez Contreras and Raul Gutierrez Lombardo) Tecnologia, Desarrollo Economico y Sustentabilidad (special number of Ludus Vitalis, Mexico City, 1997)

Society for Philosophy and Technology Quarterly Electronic Journal,
http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/SPT/spt.html (Or through spt.org, under "journal")

Published with Durbin as editor: vols. 1 (1995-6), 2 (1996-7), 3 (1997-8), and 4 (1998-9). Vol. 4 also appeared as Advances in the Philosophy of Technology: Proceedings of a Meeting of the International Academy of the Philosophy of Science, Karlsruhe, Germany, 1999, edited by Evandro Agazzi and Hans Lenk (Newark, DE: Society for Philosophy and Technology, 1999).

Edited journal numbers:

Techne: 5:1 (Fall 2000): special number on the philosophy of technology of Joseph Pitt; see http://spt.org/journal; includes Guest Editor’s Introduction, pp. 1-6.
Techne: 7:1 (Spring 2003): special author/critics number on Larry Hickman's Philosophical Tools for Technological Culture; see http://spt.org, under "journal."

Web books: (online versions...)

2000. "Activist Philosophy of Technology: Essays 1989-1999."

2006. "Small Steps to Save the Rainforest: A Plea for Experiential Learning."

2006. "Introducting Philosophy Pragmatics Style: An Essay."

2007. "Philosophy of Technology: In Search of Discourse Synthesis." Techne 10:2

Articles (selected titles since 1990):

2007: "5 Paul Durbin," in J-K Berg Olsen and E Selingers, eds., Philosophy of Technology: 5 Questions. Automatic Press. Pp. 45-54.

"There is an implicit social contract between professionals and the democratic societies in which they live." Ludus Vitalis XV:27, pp. 195-197.

2005: "Ethics and New Technologies." In F. Adams, ed., Ethical Issues for the Twenty-First Century. Charlottesville, VA: Philosophy Documentation Center. Pp. 37-56.

"Frederick Ferre and Pragmatist Activism." In G. Allan and M. Allshouse, eds., Nature, Truth, and Value: Exploring the Thinking of Frederick Ferre (Lanham, MD: Lexington Books), pp. 287-296.

2004: "The Alleged Error of Social Epistemology." In Evandro Agazzi, Right, Wrong and Science: The Ethical Dimensions of the Techno-Scientific Enterprise, ed. C. Dilworth (Amsterdam and New York: Rodopi), pp. 267-278.

"Review [Essay]: Philosophical Tools for Technological Culture (2001), by Larry Hickman; and American Philosophy of Technology: The Empirical Turn (2001), ed. Hans Achterhuis; in Metaphilosophy 35:4 (July): 583-592.

2003: "Conocimiento tecnico y discurso publico." Revista Iberoamericana de Ciencia, Tecnologia y Sociedad, 1:1: 153-165.
"Activist Philosophy of Technology and the Preservation of Biodiversity." Techne: Research in Philosophy and Technology, 6:3 (Spring): 36-45.

2002: "Can Corcovado National Park in Costa Rica Be Saved? How to Apply the Principles of the Earth Charter," in P. Miller and L. Westra, eds., Just Ecological Integrity (Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield), pp. 303-310.
2001: "Filosofia de la tecnologia en el continente americano en los ultimos veinticinco anos," in J. Lopez Cerezo et al, eds.,

Filosofia de la tecnologia (Madrid: Organizacion de Estados Iberoamericanos para la Educacion, la Ciencia y la Cultura), pp. 97-106.

"Encyclopedias and the Integration of Knowledge," in R. McInnis, ed., Discourse Synthesis: Studies in Historical and Contemporary Social Epistemology. (Westport, CT: Praeger), pp. 347-359.

"Advances in Philosophy of Technology? Comparative Perspectives," in H. Lenk and M. Maring, eds., Advances and Problems in the Philosophy of Technology (Munster: Lit Verlag), pp. 13-30.

2000: “Philosophy of Technology: Retrospective and Prospective Views,” in Technology and the Good Life?, eds. E. Higgs, A. Light, and D. Strong (Chicago: University of Chicago Press), pp. 38-49.

“SPT at the End of a Quarter Century: What Have We Accomplished?” Techne: Journal of the Society for Philosophy and Technology, vol. 5, no. 2 (Winter): 1-12.

1999: “STS Graduate Education and Research,” Bulletin of Science, Technology, and Society, 19:2(April 1999): 135-139.

1998: “Interdisciplinary Research in STS?” Science, Technology & Society, no. 116 (Summer 1998): 1-5.

“Advances in the Philosophy of Technology? Comparative Perspectives,” SPT Quarterly Electronic Journal 4:1 (Fall 1998): 6-25.

“Philosophy of Technology in the Americas in the Last Twenty-Five Years,” Teorema 17:3: 87-95.

1997: “Engineering Ethics and Social Responsibility,” Bulletin of Science, Technology, and Society, 17:2-3: 77-83.

“Activist Philosophy of Technology, STS Programs, and Sustainable Development,” in J. Xercavins i Valls, ed., Sostenible?

Tecnologia, Desenvolupament Sostenible i Desequilibris (Terrassa/Barcelona: Universitat de Catalunya), pp. 566-571.

“Can There Be a Best Ethic of Sustainability?” in J. Martinez Contreras, Raul Gutierrez Lombardo, and P. Durbin, eds., Tecnologia, Desarrollo Economico y Sustentabilidad (see edited books above), pp. 257-265.

“In Defense of a Social-Work Philosophy of Technology,” in C. Mitcham and L. Waks, eds., Research in Philosophy and Technology, vol. 16 (Greenwich, CT: JAI Press, 1997), pp. 3-14.

1996: “La transferencia de la tecnología, una breve historia crítica” in Para comprender ciencia, technología y sociedad, ed. A. Alonso, I. Ayestarán, and N. Ursúa (Navarre, Spain: EVD Publications), pp. 297-301.

"Encyclopedias and the Integration of Knowledge," Social Epistemology 10:1:123-133.

1995: "Pragmatismo y tecnología," Isegoría: Revista de Filosofía Moral y Politica 12 (October):80-91.

"Technological Praxis: Reflections," in K. Gavroglu et al. eds., Science, Politics and Social Practice (Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers), pp. 99-111.

1994: "Discovering New Worlds," in E. Lugo, H. Huyke, and W. Frey, eds., Actas de Secundo Congreso Interamericano de Filosofía de la Tecnología (Mayaguez: University of Puerto Rico), pp. 101-121.

"Ferment in Philosophy of Science Revisited," The Thomist 58:4 (October): 655-675.

"Bioethics as Social Problem Solving," in J. Monagle and D. Thomasma, eds., Health Care Ethics: Critical Issues (Gaithersburg, Md.: Aspen), pp. 419-427.

"Philosophy of Science, Technology, and Medicine," in C. Mitcham and W. Williams, eds., Reader's Adviser, 14th edition, vol. 5 (New York: Bowker), pp. 59-104.

1992: "Discourse Analysis and Interdisciplinarity: The Syracuse Experiment Examined," Association for Integrative Studies Newsletter 14:2 (May):1, 5-8.

"Environmental Ethics and Environmental Activism," in F. Ferré, ed., Research in Philosophy and Technology, vol. 12 (Greenwich, CT: JAI Press), pp. 107-117.

"Reply to George Allan," in RPT, vol. 12, pp. 129-132.

"Culture and Technical Responsibility," in S. Cutcliffe et al., eds., New Worlds, New Technologies, New Issues (Bethlehem, PA: Lehigh University Press), pp. 104-116.

"Cultura y responsabilidad tecnica," in J. Sanmartin et al., eds., Estudios sobre sociedad y tecnologia (Barcelona: Anthropos), pp. 89-105.

"Marxism and the Democratic Control of Technology," in L. Winner, ed., Democracy in a Technological Society (Dordrecht: Kluwer), pp. 81-89.

"Philosophizing as a Public Good: The Many Faces of Philosophical Public Service," in R. Burch and H. Saatkamp, eds., Frontiers in American Philosophy, vol. 1 (College Station: Texas A & M University Press), pp. 115-124.

1991: "Ethical Issues in an Age of Pervasive Technology," in H. Wiseman, J. Vanderkop, and J. Nef, eds., Critical Choices!: Ethics, Science, and Technology (Toronto: Thompson), pp. 12-19.

(Co-authored with John Engel, Robert Blacklow, and Burton Wellenbach) "Sensitizing Residents to Moral Issues by Case Discussions," Academic Medicine, October, p. 588.

"Courseware Needs for Technological Literacy," in Proceedings: Frontiers in Engineering Education in a New World Order, ed. L. Grayson, pp. 174-178.

"Defining STS: Can We Reach Consensus?," Broadening Participation in Science, Technology and Medicine: Proceedings of the Sixth Annual Technology Literacy Conference, ed. D. Cheek, pp. 60-66.

"Defining STS: Can We Reach Consensus?," Bulletin of Science, Technology, and Society 11:4&5:187-190.

1990: "STS y STPP: La educacion de la proxima generacion de profesores e investigadores," in M. Medina and J. Sanmartin,eds., Ciencia, tecnologia y sociedad: Estudios interdisciplinares en la universidad, en la educacion y en la gestion publica (Barcelona: Editorial Anthropos), pp. 85-94.

"Bioengineering, Scientific Activism, and Philosophical Bridges," Bridges Interdisciplinary Journal of Theology, Philosophy, History, and Science, vol. 2, number 1/2, Spring/Summer, pp. 27-41.

Reviews in:

Annals of Science, Isis, New Scholasticism, Review of Metaphysics, Research in Philosophy and Technology, Science, Science Books & Films, Science, Technology, and Society, Social Indicators Research, Technology and Culture, The Thomist (among others)

Papers Read/Conferences Attended:

Society for Philosophy and Technology international meetings (Bad Homburg, West Germany; New York; Twente, the Netherlands; Blacksburg; Bordeaux; Mayaguez, Puerto Rico; Hofstra; Puebla, Mexico; Dusseldorf; San Jose, CA; Aberdeen; Park City, UT; Delft); 1st and 2nd Inter-American Conferences on Philosophy of Technology (2 papers, 1 keynote address); American Philosophical Association (regular Society for Philosophy and Technology meetings); Philosophy of Science Association; National Association for Science, Technology, and Society; Humanities and Technology Association; American Catholic Philosophical Association; Popular Culture Association; American Society for Engineering Education; Association of American Colleges; Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers; Engineering Ethics National Conferences; New York Academy of Science; Caldwell College; Boston University; Tufts University; Northern Illinois University; RPI; Polytechnic University; Lehigh University; Texas A&M University; Lincoln University; Miami University of Ohio; University of Guelph; University of Valencia; Drexel University; Villa Julie College; University of Barcelona; Polytechnic University of Catalonia; University of Oviedo; University of Salamanca (among others)

Editor: Newsletter of the Society for Philosophy and Technology (1975-85)

Major Grants and Awards:

1976-1979: NEH/NSF, "A Guide to the History, Philosophy, and Sociology of Science, Technology, and Medicine"

1981-1983: NSF/NEH Sustained Development Award

1994: Honorary Lifetime Membership Award, National Association for Science, Technology, and Society

Professional Service:

President, Society for Philosophy and Technology, 1997-1999

Board member, Society for Philosophy & Technology; and National Association for Science, Technology, and Society

Advisory board, Philosophy and Technology Studies Center, Polytechnic University New York (1980-1990)

Editorial Board: Science, Technology & Human Values (until 1998); Research in Technology Studies (Lehigh U. Press); University of Delaware Press (1988-1991)

Member, Institutional Review Board, Christiana Care Health Services

Member, Bioethics Committee, Christiana Care

Member, Ethics Committee, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital (1987-1994) ]

Member, Medical Society of Delaware Blue Ribbon AIDS Commission (1987-1988)

Member, Human Subjects Review Board, State of Delaware Department of Health and Human Services

Member (and co-chair, 1993), Ethics Committee, Delaware Medical Society

Member, American Philosophical Association Committee on Philosophy and Medicine (1993-1995)