PhD Students & Society and Values (SV)
PhD in Philosophy and Human Sciences
Supervisor: Barbara Grespi
Topic: Responsible Innovation, post-phenomenology, biotech ethics, Design for Values
Marco Innocenti is a PhD student in Philosophy at the University of Milan and the Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University. In his research, he combines a post-phenomenological perspective toward agricultural biotechnologies with Walter Benjamin’s reflections on human experience in the technical environment of his time. Benjamin’s considerations are compared with Heidegger’s, which are most often cited in studies on the subject. In this way, he aims to understand how to properly stimulate users’ critical awareness of the ethical implications concerning these innovations, thus promoting shared responsibility for the effects of such technologies. Finally, he also proposes guidelines for integrating the pursuit of this task into the design process itself, according to the principles of the Design for Values approach.
His thesis is financed through an industrial PhD scheme involving the ANRT (‘Association Nationale de la Recherche et de la Technologie’) and the Franco-Norwegian biotech company Beefutures, which is developing new solutions for beekeeping.