arXiv subjects

Eline de Jong

Publications and source records attributed to Eline de Jong.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

A Contextual Approach to Technological Understanding and Its Assessment

Technological understanding is not a singular concept but varies depending on context. Building on De Jong and De Haro's (2025) notion of technological understanding as the ability to realise an aim through the use of a technological artefact, this paper refines the concept as an ability that differs by context and degree. We extend the original specification developed for a design context by introducing two additional contexts: operation and innovation. Each context represents a distinct way of realising an aim through technology, yielding three types of technological understanding. To clarify the nature of technological understanding further, we propose an assessment framework based on counterfactual reasoning. Each type of understanding is associated with the ability to answer a specific set of what-if questions concerning changes in an artefact's structure, performance, or appropriateness. Distinguishing these different types helps focus efforts to improve technological understanding, clarifies the epistemic requirements of different forms of engagement with technology, and supports a pluralistic perspective on expertise.

physics.hist-ph↗

arXiv2026

Technological Understanding: On the cognitive skill involved in the design and use of technological artefacts

Although several accounts of scientific understanding exist, the concept of understanding in relation to technology remains underexplored. This paper addresses this gap by proposing a philosophical account of technological understanding: the type of understanding that is required for and reflected by successfully designing and using technological artefacts. We develop this notion by building on the concept of scientific understanding. Drawing on parallels between science and technology, and specifically between scientific theories and technological artefacts, we extend the idea of scientific understanding into the realm of technology. We argue that, just as scientific understanding involves the ability to explain a phenomenon using a theory, technological understanding involves the ability to use a technological artefact to realise a practical aim. Both theories and artefacts are tools, and using them successfully requires the cognitive skill of understanding. Technological understanding is thus conceived as the ability to recognise how a practical aim can be achieved by using a technological artefact. In a context of design, this general notion of technological understanding is specified as the ability to design an artefact that, by producing a phenomenon through its physical structure, achieves the intended aim. By analogy with De Regt's criterion of the intelligibility of theories, we give, as a precondition for technological understanding, a criterion for the intelligibility of a technological artefact. We illustrate our concept of technological understanding through two running examples: magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and superconducting quantum computers. Our account highlights the epistemic dimension of engaging with technology and, by allowing for context-dependent specifications, provides guidance for testing and improving technological understanding in specific contexts.

physics.hist-ph↗

arXiv2025

Current and Future Directions for Responsible Quantum Technologies: A ResQT Community Perspective

Quantum technologies (QT) are advancing rapidly, promising advancements across a wide spectrum of applications but also raising significant ethical, societal, and geopolitical impacts, including dual-use capabilities, varying levels of access, and impending quantum divide(s). To address these, the Responsible Quantum Technologies (ResQT) community was established to share knowledge, perspectives, and best practices across various disciplines. Its mission is to ensure QT developments align with ethical principles, promote equity, and mitigate unintended consequences. Initial progress has been made, as scholars and policymakers increasingly recognize principles of responsible QT. However, more widespread dissemination is needed, and as QT matures, so must responsible QT. This paper provides a comprehensive overview of the ResQT community's current work and states necessary future directions. Drawing on historical lessons from artificial intelligence and nanotechnology, actions targeting the quantum divide(s) are addressed, including the implementation of responsible research and innovation, fostering wider stakeholder engagement, and sustainable development. These actions aim to build trust and engagement, facilitating the participatory and responsible development of QT. The ResQT community advocates that responsible QT should be an integral part of quantum development rather than an afterthought so that quantum technologies evolve toward a future that is technologically advanced and beneficial for all.

physics.soc-ph↗

arXiv2025

Functional Understanding Of Quantum Technology Is Essential To The Ethical Debate About Its Impact

As the innovative potential of quantum technologies comes into focus, so too does the urgent need to address their ethical implications. While many voices highlight the importance of ethical engagement, less attention has been paid to the conditions that make such engagement possible. In this article, I argue that technological understanding is a foundational capacity for meaningful ethical reflection on emerging technology like quantum technologies. Drawing on De Jong & De Haro's account of technological understanding (2025a; 2025b), I clarify what such understanding entails and how it enables ethical enquiry. I contend that ethical assessment, first and foremost, requires an understanding of what quantum technologies can do - their functional capacities and, by extension, their potential applications. Current efforts to build engagement capacities among broader audiences - within and beyond academic contexts - tend, however, to focus on explaining the underlying quantum mechanics. Instead, I advocate a shift from a physics-first to a functions-first approach: fostering an understanding of quantum technologies' capabilities as the basis for ethical reflection. Presenting technological understanding as an epistemic requirement for meaningful ethical engagement may appear to raise the bar for participation. However, by decoupling functional understanding from technical expertise, this condition becomes attainable for a broader group, contributing not only to a well-informed but also to a more inclusive ethical debate.

physics.soc-ph↗

arXiv2025

Ethics Readiness of Technology: The case for aligning ethical approaches with technological maturity

The ethics of emerging technologies faces an anticipation dilemma: engaging too early risks overly speculative concerns, while engaging too late may forfeit the chance to shape a technology's trajectory. Despite various methods to address this challenge, no framework exists to assess their suitability across different stages of technological development. This paper proposes such a framework. I conceptualise two main ethical approaches: outcomes-oriented ethics, which assesses the potential consequences of a technology's materialisation, and meaning-oriented ethics, which examines how (social) meaning is attributed to a technology. I argue that the strengths and limitations of outcomes- and meaning-oriented ethics depend on the uncertainties surrounding a technology, which shift as it matures. To capture this evolution, I introduce the concept of ethics readiness: the readiness of a technology to undergo detailed ethical scrutiny. Building on the widely known Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs), I propose Ethics Readiness Levels (ERLs) to illustrate how the suitability of ethical approaches evolves with a technology's development. At lower ERLs, where uncertainties are most pronounced, meaning-oriented ethics proves more effective, while at higher ERLs, as impacts become clearer, outcomes-oriented ethics gains relevance. By linking Ethics Readiness to Technology Readiness, this framework underscores that the appropriateness of ethical approaches evolves alongside technological maturity, ensuring scrutiny remains grounded and relevant. Finally, I demonstrate the practical value of this framework by applying it to quantum technologies, showing how Ethics Readiness can guide effective ethical engagement.

cs.CY↗