His list of publications shows a great scope (in fields of medical care, labour, third-world-philosophy). In 1967, he took his doctoral degree on Albert Camus.
His latest books handle the topics of utopianism (‘De erfenis van de utopie’, ‘The Legacy of Utopia’) and the tension between morality and politics in relation to the Kosovo War (“Politiek van Goede bedoelingen’, ‘Policy of good intentions’). He is co-author of the volume American Philosophy of Technology; The Empirical Turn. This work includes contributions on Albert Borgmann, Hubert Dreyfus, Andrew Feenberg, Donna Haraway, Don Ihde and Langdon Winner.
Main thoughts
His ideas add up to a philosophy of things (objects) and a plea for a morality of machines. Rather than being morally neutral, things guide our behaviour (barriers in the subway forcing us to buy a ticket). This is why they are capable of exerting moral pressure that is much more effective than imposing sanctions or trying to reform the way people think. Utopia has been superseded but the world can still be improved, if we take seriously our moral ties to the machines and devices that surround us.
Philosopher Laureate
In 2011 Achterhuis was chosen as the first Philosopher Laureate of the Netherlands (Dutch: Denker des Vaderlands (Thinker of the Fatherland), nl). This honorary title was an initiative of the Filosofie magazine, and the Stichting Maand van de Filosofie (Philosophy Month Foundation), together with the Dutch newspaper Trouw. The person is chosen by a group of journalists and academics. The aim of the initiative is to allow a philosophy heavyweight to speak in the media, to place news events in a broader context. In 2013 Achterhuis was succeeded as Philosopher Laureate by René Gude (Surabaja, 2 March 1957 – Amsterdam, 13 March 2015).
Publications
in Dutch
Achterhuis, H.J. (1995) De utopie en haar verschijningsvorm (Utopia and its manifestation), Amsterdam. Lumiance Lecture. Haarlem: Lumiance. Text of the sixth Lumiance Lezing (Lecture) delivered on 24 September 1995 in Paradiso, Amsterdam.
Achterhuis, H.J. (1997). Van Stoommachine tot cyborg; denken over techniek in de nieuwe wereld. Amsterdam: Ambo. pp.7–16. ISBN9789026314964. OCLC68285962. 160 p.
Achterhuis, H.J. (1999). De erfenis van de utopie. Erasmus-lezing. Utrecht: Stichting Erasmus Liga. OCLC67912999. Earlier 1998 edition with publisher Baarn; Ambo: 444 pp.
Achterhuis, H.J. (2017). Met alle geweld: Een filosofische zoektocht (in Dutch) (3rded.). Rotterdam: Lemniscaat. ISBN9789047701279. OCLC1010943035. First edition was of 2008 with the same publisher.
Achterhuis, H.J. (2015). De utopie van de vrije markt. Rotterdam: Lemniscaat. ISBN9789047702573. OCLC908238425. First edition was of 2010 with the same publisher.
in Italian
Achterhuis, H.J. (1995). "La responsabilità tra il timore e l'utopia". In Hottois, G.; Pinsart, M.G. (eds.). Hans Jonas. Natura e responsabilità. Collana del Dipartimento di Filosofia dell'Università degli Studi di Lecce: Sezione saggi (in Italian). Lecce, Italy: Edizioni Milella. pp.99–110. ISBN9788870482805. OCLC895420785.
in English
Achterhuis, H.J. (1995). "The History and Roots of Growth". In van Dieren, Wouter (ed.). Taking nature into account: toward a sustainable national income: a report to the Club of Rome. New York, NY: Copernicus. pp.15–27. OCLC905474106. Translated into Dutch, German, French, Spanish, Italian, and Japanese)
Achterhuis, H.J.; Crease, Robert P., eds. (2001). American Philosophy of Technology: the Empirical Turn. Bloomington/Minneapolis: Indiana University Press. ISBN9780253339034. OCLC905582614.
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