Chen Changshu, Yuan Deyu, and the Northeastern School: Originary Contributions to Philosophy of Technology in China

Just as philosophy of technology has distinctive origins in Europe and in the United States, so too in China. Here we aim to give an introductory narrative account of Chinese origins for English language readers, anchored in the lives and thought of Chen Changshu 陈昌曙 and Yuan Deyu 远德玉, two leading influences on what is sometimes been called the “Northeastern School” in the philosophy of technology. A general introduction to this school is developed through a narrative account of Chen’s and Yuan’s interactive lives and work in historical context followed by appreciations of their philosophical achievements, most particularly Chen’s 1999 Jishu zhexue yin lun 技术哲学引论 [Introduction to philosophy of technology] and two Yuan interviews from 2018 and 2022. Our claim is that Chen and Yuan were much earlier paying attention to the empirical experience of engineers than Western counterparts who later started the “empirical turn” movement and that their originary contributions are pertinent for anyone in the West who desires to engage with Chinese thinking about engineering and technology, if not in fact to the placing of Western philosophy of technology in a more global perspective.