Nicole C. Karafyllis
Encyclopedia
Nicole C. Karafyllis is a German-Greek philosopher
and biologist
. Since 2010, she is Department Chair and Philosophy Professor at the TU Braunschweig, Braunschweig/Brunswick Institute of Technology (Germany).
and Tübingen
. In 1991, she was a visiting student at the University of Stirling in Scotland (UK). She received a doctorate
at the University of Tübingen in 1999 at the International Center for Ethics in the Sciences and Humanities. Her Habilitation
in philosophy
was completed at the University of Stuttgart
in 2006, dealing with the topic Phenomenology of Growth. Philosophy and scientific History of productive Life between Nature and Technology.
For ten years, 1998–2008, she has been working at the Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany and was a scholar of Günter Ropohl
. In 2007 she has been a Visiting Professor for Applied Philosophy of Science at Vienna University (Austria
). 2008 - 2010, she moved to the United Arab Emirates
and was Full Professor of Philosophy at the United Arab Emirates University
(UAEU). In fall 2010 she was senior research fellow of the International Centre for Cultural Studies (IFK) in Vienna (Austria). She returned to Germany in summer 2010 to become Department Chair of the Philosophy Department at Technische Universität Braunschweig
.
, established in 2001), and for her union of phenomenology and philosophy of technology
. She also works on the "spirit of craftsmanship".
Her philosophical fields of work are phenomenology, anthropology
, bioethics
, philosophy of technology
, philosophy of science
, history of science
, technology assessment
, in which she develops a theory of biofacticity
. She introduced the term biofact
in philosophy
in 2001, to stress the shitting borders between the concepts of nature
, biology
and technology
. Other main topics of her work are the philosophy of plants, situated in a phenomenology of growth, and the philosophy of emotions in light of the neurosciences.
Karafyllis, N.C. and G. Ulshöfer [ed.] (2008). Sexualized Brains. Scientific Modeling of Emotional Intelligence from a Cultural Perspective. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, Oct. 2008
Karafyllis, N.C. (2001). Biologisch, natürlich, nachhaltig. Philosophische Aspekte des Naturzugangs im 21. Jahrhundert. Tübingen/Basel: A. Francke.
Karafyllis, N.C. und Schmidt, J.C. (ed.) (2002). Zugänge zur Rationalität der Zukunft. Stuttgart/Weimar: Metzler.
Karafyllis, N.C. [ed.] (2003). Biofakte. Versuch über den Menschen zwischen Artefakt und Lebewesen. Paderborn: Mentis.
Karafyllis, N.C., Krohmer, T., Schirrmeister, A., Söll, Ä. and Wilkens, A. [ed.] (2004). De-Marginalisierungen. Berlin: trafo.
Karafyllis, N.C. und Haar, T. [ed.] (2004). Technikphilosophie im Aufbruch. Festschrift für Günter Ropohl. Berlin: edition sigma.
Engel, G. and Karafyllis, N.C. [ed.]. (2004) Technik in der Frühen Neuzeit – Schrittma-cher der europäischen Moderne. Themenband der Zeitschrift Zeitsprünge. Forschungen zur Frühen Neuzeit, 8. Jg., Frankfurt am Main: Vittorio Klostermann.
Engel, G. and Karafyllis, N.C. [ed.] (2005). Re-Produktionen. Berlin: trafo
Karafyllis, N.C. (2012). Die Phänomenologie des Wachstums. Bielefeld: transcript (forthcoming).
Karafyllis, N.C. (2003). Renewable resources and the idea of nature – what has biotechnology got to do with it? Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics. Vol. 16 (1) 2003. 3-28.
Karafyllis, N.C. (2007). Growth of Biofacts: The real thing or metaphor? In: R. Heil, A. Kaminski et al. (ed.) Tensions. Technological and Aesthetic (Trans)Formations of Society. Bielefeld: transcript publishers. 141-152.
Karafyllis, N.C. (2008). Endogenous Design of Biofacts. Tissues and Networks in Bio Art and Life Science. In: sk-interfaces. Exploding borders - creating membranes in art, technology and society. Ed. by Jens Hauser. Liverpool: University of Liverpool Press. 42-58.
Karafyllis, N. C. (2008). Ethical and epistemological problems of hybridizing living beings: Biofacts and Body Shopping. In: Wenchao Li and Hans Poser (Ed.): Ethical Considerations on Today's Science and Technology. A German-Chinese Approach. Münster: LIT (2008), 185-198.
Karafyllis, N. C., and Ulshöfer, G. (2008). Intelligent Emotions and Sexualized Brains: Scientific Models, Discourses, and their interdependencies. In: N. C. Karafyllis/G. Ulshöfer (Ed.): Sexualized Brains. Scientific Modeling of Emotional Intelligence from a Cultural Perspective. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 1-49.
Karafyllis, N. C. (2009). Facts or Fiction? Methodological and Ethical Problems of Vision Assessment. In: M. Paul Sollie/Marcus Düwell (ed.): Evaluating New Technologies. Methodological Problems for the Ethical Assessment of Technologic Developments. Library of Ethics and Applied Philosophy. Berlin/New York. Springer, 93-116.
Karafyllis, N. C. (2010). Entries on Corporate Responsibility and Alfred Nordmann for SAGE’s Encyclopedia of Nanoscience and Society. Ed. By David Gulston and J. Geoffrey Golson.
Karafyllis, N. C. (2011). The virtuous autist. Why neuroelitism does not work for the common good. In: Mariacarla Gadebusch Bondio, Andre Bettels (Ed.): Im Korsett der Tugenden / In the Corset of Virtues. Georg Olms Verlag (in press)
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...
and biologist
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
. Since 2010, she is Department Chair and Philosophy Professor at the TU Braunschweig, Braunschweig/Brunswick Institute of Technology (Germany).
Biography
Nicole Christine Karafyllis was born in Germany as the child of a German mother and a Greek father. From 1989 to 1994, she studied biology and philosophy at the Universities of ErlangenErlangen
Erlangen is a Middle Franconian city in Bavaria, Germany. It is located at the confluence of the river Regnitz and its large tributary, the Untere Schwabach.Erlangen has more than 100,000 inhabitants....
and Tübingen
Tübingen
Tübingen is a traditional university town in central Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated south of the state capital, Stuttgart, on a ridge between the Neckar and Ammer rivers.-Geography:...
. In 1991, she was a visiting student at the University of Stirling in Scotland (UK). She received a doctorate
Doctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
at the University of Tübingen in 1999 at the International Center for Ethics in the Sciences and Humanities. Her Habilitation
Habilitation
Habilitation is the highest academic qualification a scholar can achieve by his or her own pursuit in several European and Asian countries. Earned after obtaining a research doctorate, such as a PhD, habilitation requires the candidate to write a professorial thesis based on independent...
in philosophy
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...
was completed at the University of Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
in 2006, dealing with the topic Phenomenology of Growth. Philosophy and scientific History of productive Life between Nature and Technology.
For ten years, 1998–2008, she has been working at the Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany and was a scholar of Günter Ropohl
Günter Ropohl
Günter Ropohl is a German philosopher of technology.- Biography :Günter Ropohl studied mechanical engineering and philosophy at Stuttgart University, where he was a scholar of the philosopher Max Bense...
. In 2007 she has been a Visiting Professor for Applied Philosophy of Science at Vienna University (Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
). 2008 - 2010, she moved to the United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...
and was Full Professor of Philosophy at the United Arab Emirates University
United Arab Emirates University
United Arab Emirates University was established in 1976, and is the oldest of the three government-sponsored institutions of higher learning in the United Arab Emirates compared to the Higher Colleges of Technology and Zayed University...
(UAEU). In fall 2010 she was senior research fellow of the International Centre for Cultural Studies (IFK) in Vienna (Austria). She returned to Germany in summer 2010 to become Department Chair of the Philosophy Department at Technische Universität Braunschweig
Technische Universität Braunschweig
The TU Braunschweig is the oldest University of Technology in Germany. It was founded in 1745 as Collegium Carolinum and is a member of TU9, an incorporated society of the most renowned and largest German Institutes of Technology. Today it has about 13,000 students, making it the third largest...
.
Philosophy
Karafyllis is engaged in a cultural philosophy of science and technology, making use of a history of ideas perspective without compromising the idea of manual and material culture. She is particularly known for her philosophical works on the modeling interfaces between biology and technology (the concept of biofactBiofact
Biofact may refer to:*Biofact *Biofact *Biofact...
, established in 2001), and for her union of phenomenology and philosophy of technology
Philosophy of technology
The philosophy of technology is a philosophical field dedicated to studying the nature of technology and its social effects.- History :Considered under the rubric of the Greek term techne , the philosophy of technology goes to the very roots of Western philosophy.* In his Republic, Plato sees...
. She also works on the "spirit of craftsmanship".
Her philosophical fields of work are phenomenology, anthropology
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
, bioethics
Bioethics
Bioethics is the study of controversial ethics brought about by advances in biology and medicine. Bioethicists are concerned with the ethical questions that arise in the relationships among life sciences, biotechnology, medicine, politics, law, and philosophy....
, philosophy of technology
Philosophy of technology
The philosophy of technology is a philosophical field dedicated to studying the nature of technology and its social effects.- History :Considered under the rubric of the Greek term techne , the philosophy of technology goes to the very roots of Western philosophy.* In his Republic, Plato sees...
, philosophy of science
Philosophy of science
The philosophy of science is concerned with the assumptions, foundations, methods and implications of science. It is also concerned with the use and merit of science and sometimes overlaps metaphysics and epistemology by exploring whether scientific results are actually a study of truth...
, history of science
History of science
The history of science is the study of the historical development of human understandings of the natural world and the domains of the social sciences....
, technology assessment
Technology assessment
Technology assessment Technology assessment Technology assessment (TA, German Tenteractive, and communicative process that aims to contribute to the formation of public and political opinion on societal aspects of science and technology.- General description :...
, in which she develops a theory of biofacticity
Biofacticity
Biofacticity is a philosophical concept that allows to identify a living object as a so-called biofact, i.e. a semi-natural living entitiy in which has been biotechnically interfered during its life-span, e.g. transgenic plants or cloned organisms. Biofacticity is an epistemological and ontological...
. She introduced the term biofact
Biofact (philosophy)
In philosophy, sociology and the arts, the word "biofact" is a hybrid between an artifact and living being, or between concepts of nature and technology.- History of the Concept :...
in philosophy
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...
in 2001, to stress the shitting borders between the concepts of nature
Nature
Nature, in the broadest sense, is equivalent to the natural world, physical world, or material world. "Nature" refers to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general...
, biology
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
and technology
Technology
Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
. Other main topics of her work are the philosophy of plants, situated in a phenomenology of growth, and the philosophy of emotions in light of the neurosciences.
Books (in English)
Claus Zittel, Romano Nanni, Gisela Engel and Nicole C. Karafyllis (ed.): Philosophies of Technology: Francis Bacon and his Contemporaries. Leiden: Brill Publ., Nov. 2008Karafyllis, N.C. and G. Ulshöfer [ed.] (2008). Sexualized Brains. Scientific Modeling of Emotional Intelligence from a Cultural Perspective. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, Oct. 2008
Books (in German)
Karafyllis, N.C. (2000). Nachwachsende Rohstoffe – Technikbewertung zwischen den Leitbildern Wachstum und Nachhaltigkeit. Opladen: Leske+Budrich. Awarded with the Franzke-Prize for Technology and Responsibility of the TU Berlin 2001.Karafyllis, N.C. (2001). Biologisch, natürlich, nachhaltig. Philosophische Aspekte des Naturzugangs im 21. Jahrhundert. Tübingen/Basel: A. Francke.
Karafyllis, N.C. und Schmidt, J.C. (ed.) (2002). Zugänge zur Rationalität der Zukunft. Stuttgart/Weimar: Metzler.
Karafyllis, N.C. [ed.] (2003). Biofakte. Versuch über den Menschen zwischen Artefakt und Lebewesen. Paderborn: Mentis.
Karafyllis, N.C., Krohmer, T., Schirrmeister, A., Söll, Ä. and Wilkens, A. [ed.] (2004). De-Marginalisierungen. Berlin: trafo.
Karafyllis, N.C. und Haar, T. [ed.] (2004). Technikphilosophie im Aufbruch. Festschrift für Günter Ropohl. Berlin: edition sigma.
Engel, G. and Karafyllis, N.C. [ed.]. (2004) Technik in der Frühen Neuzeit – Schrittma-cher der europäischen Moderne. Themenband der Zeitschrift Zeitsprünge. Forschungen zur Frühen Neuzeit, 8. Jg., Frankfurt am Main: Vittorio Klostermann.
Engel, G. and Karafyllis, N.C. [ed.] (2005). Re-Produktionen. Berlin: trafo
Karafyllis, N.C. (2012). Die Phänomenologie des Wachstums. Bielefeld: transcript (forthcoming).
Articles in English
Karafyllis, N.C. (2002). Biotechnology – the offspring of life science or techno science? Newsletter of the European Society of Agricultural and Food Ethics (EURSAFE) (4), No. 2.Karafyllis, N.C. (2003). Renewable resources and the idea of nature – what has biotechnology got to do with it? Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics. Vol. 16 (1) 2003. 3-28.
Karafyllis, N.C. (2007). Growth of Biofacts: The real thing or metaphor? In: R. Heil, A. Kaminski et al. (ed.) Tensions. Technological and Aesthetic (Trans)Formations of Society. Bielefeld: transcript publishers. 141-152.
Karafyllis, N.C. (2008). Endogenous Design of Biofacts. Tissues and Networks in Bio Art and Life Science. In: sk-interfaces. Exploding borders - creating membranes in art, technology and society. Ed. by Jens Hauser. Liverpool: University of Liverpool Press. 42-58.
Karafyllis, N. C. (2008). Ethical and epistemological problems of hybridizing living beings: Biofacts and Body Shopping. In: Wenchao Li and Hans Poser (Ed.): Ethical Considerations on Today's Science and Technology. A German-Chinese Approach. Münster: LIT (2008), 185-198.
Karafyllis, N. C., and Ulshöfer, G. (2008). Intelligent Emotions and Sexualized Brains: Scientific Models, Discourses, and their interdependencies. In: N. C. Karafyllis/G. Ulshöfer (Ed.): Sexualized Brains. Scientific Modeling of Emotional Intelligence from a Cultural Perspective. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 1-49.
Karafyllis, N. C. (2009). Facts or Fiction? Methodological and Ethical Problems of Vision Assessment. In: M. Paul Sollie/Marcus Düwell (ed.): Evaluating New Technologies. Methodological Problems for the Ethical Assessment of Technologic Developments. Library of Ethics and Applied Philosophy. Berlin/New York. Springer, 93-116.
Karafyllis, N. C. (2010). Entries on Corporate Responsibility and Alfred Nordmann for SAGE’s Encyclopedia of Nanoscience and Society. Ed. By David Gulston and J. Geoffrey Golson.
Karafyllis, N. C. (2011). The virtuous autist. Why neuroelitism does not work for the common good. In: Mariacarla Gadebusch Bondio, Andre Bettels (Ed.): Im Korsett der Tugenden / In the Corset of Virtues. Georg Olms Verlag (in press)