Sven Ove Hansson
Encyclopedia
Sven Ove Hansson is a professor of philosophy
and chair of the Department of Philosophy and History of Technology at the Royal Institute of Technology
(KTH) in Stockholm
, Sweden
. He is an author and skeptic
, with a special interest in environmental risk assessment, as well as in decision theory and belief dynamics.
.
He received a PhD-degree in theoretical philosophy at Uppsala University
in 1991, following which he was from 1993 to 1999 forskarassistent (the Swedish equivalent of an associate professor) at Uppsala. He received a second PhD-degree in practical philosophy at the University of Lund in 1999, and since 2000 he has been a professor at KTH; he became department head in 2005.
The Swedish Government
appointed Hansson to the Products Control Board (1976–1982; the predecessor of the National Chemicals Inspectorate),
the National Board for Spent Nuclear Fuel (1981–1992) and the Natural Science Foundation (1989–1992). He was also a member of two temporary Commissions on environmental policies appointed by the Swedish Government, expert advisor to a 1999–2000 Swedish government committee the kemikaliekommittén, and a member of the board of the MISTRA project New Strategy for the risk management of chemical substances. Since December 2000, Hansson has been a member of forskningsberedningen, the Swedish government’s advisory board of researchers .
Since September 1999 he has been the Editor-in-Chief of Theoria, the only international, peer-reviewed, philosophy journal published in Sweden. He was the founding chairperson of the Swedish Skeptics
(Vetenskap och Folkbildning), and is still a board member and editor of the organisation’s journal Folkvett.
Titles of English books are:
Hansson has criticized anthroposophy
as a pseudo science.
See the complete list of Hansson's publications.
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 chair of the Department of Philosophy and History of Technology at the Royal Institute of Technology
Royal Institute of Technology
The Royal Institute of Technology is a university in Stockholm, Sweden. KTH was founded in 1827 as Sweden's first polytechnic and is one of Scandinavia's largest institutions of higher education in technology. KTH accounts for one-third of Sweden’s technical research and engineering education...
(KTH) in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. He is an author and skeptic
Scientific skepticism
Scientific skepticism is the practice of questioning the veracity of claims lacking empirical evidence or reproducibility, as part of a methodological norm pursuing "the extension of certified knowledge". For example, Robert K...
, with a special interest in environmental risk assessment, as well as in decision theory and belief dynamics.
Career
Hansson obtained a bachelor's degree in medical science in 1972, and then worked for a Swedish trade union, followed by a job with the Swedish Social DemocratsSwedish Social Democratic Party
The Swedish Social Democratic Workers' Party, , contesting elections as 'the Workers' Party – the Social Democrats' , or sometimes referred to just as 'the Social Democrats' and most commonly as Sossarna ; is the oldest and largest political party in Sweden. The party was founded in 1889...
.
He received a PhD-degree in theoretical philosophy at Uppsala University
Uppsala University
Uppsala University is a research university in Uppsala, Sweden, and is the oldest university in Scandinavia, founded in 1477. It consistently ranks among the best universities in Northern Europe in international rankings and is generally considered one of the most prestigious institutions of...
in 1991, following which he was from 1993 to 1999 forskarassistent (the Swedish equivalent of an associate professor) at Uppsala. He received a second PhD-degree in practical philosophy at the University of Lund in 1999, and since 2000 he has been a professor at KTH; he became department head in 2005.
The Swedish Government
Government of Sweden
The Government of the Kingdom of Sweden is the supreme executive authority of Sweden. It consists of the Prime Minister and cabinet ministers appointed by the Prime Minister. The Government is responsible for their actions to the Riksdag, which is the legislative assembly...
appointed Hansson to the Products Control Board (1976–1982; the predecessor of the National Chemicals Inspectorate),
the National Board for Spent Nuclear Fuel (1981–1992) and the Natural Science Foundation (1989–1992). He was also a member of two temporary Commissions on environmental policies appointed by the Swedish Government, expert advisor to a 1999–2000 Swedish government committee the kemikaliekommittén, and a member of the board of the MISTRA project New Strategy for the risk management of chemical substances. Since December 2000, Hansson has been a member of forskningsberedningen, the Swedish government’s advisory board of researchers .
Since September 1999 he has been the Editor-in-Chief of Theoria, the only international, peer-reviewed, philosophy journal published in Sweden. He was the founding chairperson of the Swedish Skeptics
Föreningen Vetenskap och Folkbildning
Vetenskap och Folkbildning or The Swedish Skeptics' Association, abbreviated as VoF, is a Swedish skeptics' association. It was founded in 1982 with the purpose to raise the general public's awareness of scientific methods and results...
(Vetenskap och Folkbildning), and is still a board member and editor of the organisation’s journal Folkvett.
Publications
He has published numerous articles and books in Swedish and in English.Titles of English books are:
Hansson has criticized anthroposophy
Anthroposophy
Anthroposophy, a philosophy founded by Rudolf Steiner, postulates the existence of an objective, intellectually comprehensible spiritual world accessible to direct experience through inner development...
as a pseudo science.
See the complete list of Hansson's publications.
External links
- Homepage
- Brief biography at NanoBio-RAISE
- Brief biography at Research in Ethics and Engineering Conference, University of Delft, NL, April 2002 (pdf)