Clemens Driessen
Papers
2
Total Citations
228
H-Index
2
About
Clemens Driessen is a leading thinker at the intersection of environmental ethics, animal studies, and technology design, with a particular focus on the ethical co-evolution of humans, animals, and machines in agricultural landscapes. His most influential work, “Cows desiring to be milked? Milking robots and the co-evolution of ethics and technology on Dutch dairy farms” (2014, 141 citations), redefined how we understand animal agency in automated systems, arguing that technologies like milking robots do not simply replace human labor but reshape the ethical relationships and desires of the animals themselves. Driessen’s more recent work, “Automating Agroecology: How to Design a Farming Robot Without a Monocultural Mindset?” (2022, 87 citations), challenges the prevailing narrative of agricultural robotics by proposing design principles that could support biodiversity and ecological complexity rather than reinforcing monocultures. His research has been pivotal in bridging critical animal studies with practical design ethics, influencing both academic discourse and public debate on sustainable food systems. Driessen’s contributions have earned him recognition as a key voice in the emerging field of “multispecies design,” and his work continues to inspire researchers and practitioners seeking to align technological innovation with ecological and animal welfare values.
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Top Papers
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