2025 TCUS Young Scholar Excellence Award in Humanities and Social Science Division—Assistant Professor Ching Hung

Bridging Theoretical "Detours" and Institutional Recognition Beyond personal honor, receiving the 2025 Excellence Award in Humanities and Social Science—awarded by the Taiwan Comprehensive University System (TCUS) as part of its Young Scholars' Innovative R&D Results Selection—signifies a meaningful institutional embrace of interdisciplinary inquiry and foundational theoretical reconstruction. My research has long been situated at the nexus of the Philosophy of Technology and STS (Science and Technology Studies). This intellectual path often necessitates a "detour" through rigorous philosophical argumentation and the complexities of social phenomena. In an academic landscape that frequently prioritizes quantitative indicators and immediate pragmatic outcomes, the committee’s recognition of my attempt to ontologically ground the reconstruction of governance logic suggests that deep theoretical reflection remains indispensable for addressing contemporary technological dilemmas. This award serves as a profound encouragement to continue navigating these interdisciplinary boundaries, as I strive to cultivate a more realistic and actionable space for dialogue between technological advancement and human action.   From Architectural Practice to the Construction of Behavior-Steering Theory My scholarly concerns are rooted not in abstract speculation, but in a keen observation of concrete, real-world frictions. This trajectory began during my transition from the Department of Atomic Science to the Graduate Institute of History at National Tsing Hua University. My master’s research focused on the sluggish adoption of "Sustainable Buildings" in Taiwan, where I discovered that the bottleneck was not a lack of technological efficacy, but a disconnect between technological objects, users, and the prevailing social environment. This realization—that technology is never a neutral tool but a material configuration that profoundly shapes human conduct—became the cornerstone of my subsequent work. During my doctoral studies in the Netherlands, I engaged critically with the theory of technological mediation. In my book Design for Green, I addressed a central paradox: in our current environmental crisis, to what extent are we "permitted" to steer human behavior through technological design? To resolve this, I established a comprehensive framework spanning ontology, ethics, and political philosophy.   Cover of the monograph Design for Green. This work was awarded the Excellent Doctoral Dissertation Prize by Taiwan STS Association; a revised Chinese edition is scheduled for publication in 2026.   As my research evolved, I began to confront the limitations of mainstream frameworks in addressing "agency" and the persistent "knowing-doing gap". This led me to incorporate behavioral reinforcement theory, examining how technological objects function as integral components of the external environment to directly prompt and reinforce ethical behavior. I propose an "Outside-in" shift: given that altering "internal" cognition or motivation has proven insufficient for resolving collective crises, we must rethink how to design technological environments that actively support and strengthen desirable courses of action. This framework does not seek to negate human autonomy; rather, it aims to reconstruct freedom as "Freedom with Technology"—envisioning a democratic governance model that accommodates technological intervention while remaining transparent about its influence.   "Design and Freedom" — Mapping the Ethics of Behavior-Steering Technology Building upon this theoretical foundation, my recent work focuses on refining the ethical and political architecture of "Behavior-Steering Technology" (BST), the core achievement recognized by this award. In my paper "Design and Freedom: A Classification and Ethical Concerns for Behavior-Steering Technology" (published in the Taiwanese Journal for Studies of Science, Technology and Medicine and recipient of the Early Career Paper Award), I introduced a classification system based on the mechanism of intervention. I distinguish between: "Informational BST" (IBST), which targets conscious or subconscious states via informational media (e.g., persuasive technology, nudge); and " Material BST" (MBST), which acts directly on the body and physical space by reconfiguring material structures (e.g., physical barriers or forceful design). This classification challenges conventional ethical intuitions. While traditional views often prefer "soft" persuasion over "hard" material design, I argue that because the reinforcement structures of MBST are physically manifest and visible, they offer greater "transparency" and more robust privacy protections than the subtle manipulations characteristic of IBST. My goal is to provide a more nuanced ethical map for policy-making and the democratic governance of technology. Furthermore, I have integrated this "philosophy-of-technology-inside" approach into my teaching. By guiding students from engineering and biomedical backgrounds to move beyond abstract moralizing, I empower them to analyze and design environmental configurations that solve real-world ethical puzzles. My students’ consistent success in national professional ethics competitions underscores the practical power of this material-centric approach for interdisciplinary learners.   Lecturing on Dutch Philosophy of Technology at the Institute of Social Research and Cultural Studies, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University.   Towards a New Ethics of Environmental Configuration Looking ahead, I intend to further refine the framework of "Technological Politics," specifically exploring how democratic governance remains possible when we acknowledge the power of environments to shape behavior. A primary practical objective is the development of a "New Engineering Ethics" that elevates "material configuration" to the center of ethical judgment. I envision an engineering ethics education that transcends mere moral reasoning, evolving instead into a practice of "environmental configuration" deeply integrated with technical design. My hope is to provide practitioners with sophisticated ethical tools that allow them to recognize, from the earliest stages of design, how technological objects function as structures of reinforcement that constitute social conduct. As an assistant professor, I remain committed to this path where theory and practice intertwine, transforming philosophical insights into a material force that safeguards a diverse and democratic society.