On the death of Hans Lenk

The internationally recognized philosopher and Olympic champion early on built a bridge between ethics and engineering in Karlsruhe and advocated for technology assessment. A tribute by Armin Grunwald, Head of ITAS.
Portrait von Hans Lenk
Hans Lenk was a pioneer of technology ethics and a companion of TA. Picture: Daryoush Djavadi/KIT

“Hans Lenk was one of the pioneers of technology ethics in Germany and at the same time a critical companion and supporter of technology assessment (TA). As a professor of philosophy at what was then the University of Karlsruhe, he was already dealing with ethical issues related to technology and the engineering profession in the early 1970s. One of his pioneering achievements was that he not only called for cooperation between ethics and engineering but also practiced it. It is also to his credit that the Association of German Engineers (VDI) early opened up to these issues and adopted the well-known Richtlinie 3780 zur Technikbewertung (guideline 3780 on technology assessment) in 1989.

Important voice in responsibility debates

Above all, his work on the concept of responsibility in general and specifically on the responsibility of engineers is of lasting value from a TA perspective. His analytical dissection of the concept of responsibility has set a precedent, for example, in the debates on responsibility in the new and emerging sciences and technologies (NEST), such as synthetic biology and artificial intelligence. His Reclam volume 'Technik und Ethik', published together with Günter Ropohl, has provided countless readers with concrete examples of the close relationship between technology, ethics, and responsibility.

Olympic champion and humorist

Hans Lenk was also a person with many talents and interests. He first became famous as a rower with his gold medal in the men’s eight at the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome. He then worked in a number of philosophical sub-disciplines, for example, in epistemology with his approach of interpretive constructionism, and was an internationally recognized figure in German philosophy.

Finally, he was a gifted comedic observer of his time and his profession, always interested in the philosophy of humor. I last saw him in 2022, when he received a lifetime achievement award from KIT and thanked them with a great speech that was as witty as it was funny. Hans Lenk has now passed away at the age of 89.”

Armin Grunwald, Head of ITAS
(11.09.2024)

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