Esa Saarinen
Encyclopedia
Esa Saarinen is a Finnish philosopher
who is currently professor of applied philosophy at Aalto University
and co-director of the Systems Intelligence
Research Group.
Saarinen completed his Ph.D.
degree in 1978 at the University of Helsinki
, where he has since held docentship. His extrovert public persona - he became known as the punk doctor - was reflected in his lectures at the university, which drew increasingly large audiences until the late 1990s. After failing to get the position of full-time professor at the Departmernt of Philosophy at the University of Helsinki, Saarinen resigned his lecturer position. Soon afterwards he was appointed professor at Helsinki University of Technology, since renamed Aalto University. His lectures there each year draw full lecture halls.
Saarinen's philosophical interests have changed dramatically, from early writings in formal logic
, to concerns with existentialism
and later to media
philosophy. The year 1994 saw the publication of Saarinen's most well-known work, Imagologies: Media Philosophy, written jointly with American philosopher Mark C. Taylor
. The collage of writings was based on a joint course they ran simultaneously in Finland and USA via conference telecasting - one of the first ever in university education. During the last five years he has been most active in developing the concept of systems intelligence
together with professor Raimo P. Hämäläinen
.
Since the turn of the century Saarinen's academic lecturing has centered at the Helsinki University of Technology, but he has also continued his business as a coach for Finnish companies and organisations, promoting a doctrine of self-actualization. Saarinen is a frequent guest on Finnish talk shows.
Saarinen is married to Pipsa Pallasvesa and has twin boys, Jerome and Oliver, born in 1989.
One of Esa Saarinen's most notable and famous students and colleagues is the philosopher Pekka Himanen
.
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
who is currently professor of applied philosophy at Aalto University
Aalto University
Aalto University is a Finnish university established on January 1, 2010, by the merger of the Helsinki University of Technology, the Helsinki School of Economics, and the University of Art and Design Helsinki....
and co-director of the Systems Intelligence
Systems intelligence
Systems intelligence is human action that connects sensitivity about a systemic environment with systems thinking, thus spurring a person's problem solving capabilities and invoking performance and productivity in everyday situations. Systems intelligence, abbreviated SI, is intelligent behavior in...
Research Group.
Saarinen completed his Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
degree in 1978 at the University of Helsinki
University of Helsinki
The University of Helsinki is a university located in Helsinki, Finland since 1829, but was founded in the city of Turku in 1640 as The Royal Academy of Turku, at that time part of the Swedish Empire. It is the oldest and largest university in Finland with the widest range of disciplines available...
, where he has since held docentship. His extrovert public persona - he became known as the punk doctor - was reflected in his lectures at the university, which drew increasingly large audiences until the late 1990s. After failing to get the position of full-time professor at the Departmernt of Philosophy at the University of Helsinki, Saarinen resigned his lecturer position. Soon afterwards he was appointed professor at Helsinki University of Technology, since renamed Aalto University. His lectures there each year draw full lecture halls.
Saarinen's philosophical interests have changed dramatically, from early writings in formal logic
Formal logic
Classical or traditional system of determining the validity or invalidity of a conclusion deduced from two or more statements...
, to concerns with existentialism
Existentialism
Existentialism is a term applied to a school of 19th- and 20th-century philosophers who, despite profound doctrinal differences, shared the belief that philosophical thinking begins with the human subject—not merely the thinking subject, but the acting, feeling, living human individual...
and later to media
Mass media
Mass media refers collectively to all media technologies which are intended to reach a large audience via mass communication. Broadcast media transmit their information electronically and comprise of television, film and radio, movies, CDs, DVDs and some other gadgets like cameras or video consoles...
philosophy. The year 1994 saw the publication of Saarinen's most well-known work, Imagologies: Media Philosophy, written jointly with American philosopher Mark C. Taylor
Mark C. Taylor
Mark C. Taylor is a philosopher of religion and cultural critic who has published more than twenty books on theology, philosophy, art and architecture, media, technology, economics, and the natural sciences...
. The collage of writings was based on a joint course they ran simultaneously in Finland and USA via conference telecasting - one of the first ever in university education. During the last five years he has been most active in developing the concept of systems intelligence
Systems intelligence
Systems intelligence is human action that connects sensitivity about a systemic environment with systems thinking, thus spurring a person's problem solving capabilities and invoking performance and productivity in everyday situations. Systems intelligence, abbreviated SI, is intelligent behavior in...
together with professor Raimo P. Hämäläinen
Raimo Hämäläinen
Raimo P. Hämäläinen is a professor of Applied Mathematics and Operations Research at the Helsinki University of Technology , Finland...
.
Since the turn of the century Saarinen's academic lecturing has centered at the Helsinki University of Technology, but he has also continued his business as a coach for Finnish companies and organisations, promoting a doctrine of self-actualization. Saarinen is a frequent guest on Finnish talk shows.
Saarinen is married to Pipsa Pallasvesa and has twin boys, Jerome and Oliver, born in 1989.
One of Esa Saarinen's most notable and famous students and colleagues is the philosopher Pekka Himanen
Pekka Himanen
-Biography:Pekka Himanen defines himself as a philosopher and a public intellectual. He studied philosophy at the University of Helsinki. In 1994, with his thesis on the philosophy of religion, The challenge of Bertrand Russell, he received his Ph.D. in philosophy from the same university, thus...
.
Articles
- Philosophy for Managers 2008
- Systems Intelligent Leadership with Raimo P. HämäläinenRaimo HämäläinenRaimo P. Hämäläinen is a professor of Applied Mathematics and Operations Research at the Helsinki University of Technology , Finland...
2007 - Systems Intelligence—The Way Forward? A Note On Ackoff’s ‘Why Few Organizations Adopt Systems Thinking’ with Raimo P. HämäläinenRaimo HämäläinenRaimo P. Hämäläinen is a professor of Applied Mathematics and Operations Research at the Helsinki University of Technology , Finland...
2008 - Perspectives on Team Dynamics: Meta Learning and Systems Intelligence with Jukka Luoma and Raimo P. HämäläinenRaimo HämäläinenRaimo P. Hämäläinen is a professor of Applied Mathematics and Operations Research at the Helsinki University of Technology , Finland...
2008