Abstract
Computing is changing the traditional field of Philosophy of Science in a very profound way. First as a methodological tool, computing makes possible ``experimental Philosophy'' which is able to provide practical tests for different philosophical ideas. At the same time the ideal object of investigation of the Philosophy of Science is changing. For a long period of time the ideal science was Physics (e.g., Popper, Carnap, Kuhn, and Chalmers). Now the focus is shifting to the field of Computing/Informatics. There are many good reasons for this paradigm shift, one of those being a long standing need of a new meeting between the sciences and humanities, for which the new discipline of Computing/Informatics gives innumerable possibilities. Contrary to Physics, Computing/Informatics is very much human-centered. It brings a potential for a new Renaissance, where Science and Humanities, Arts and Engineering can reach a new synthesis, so very much needed in our intellectually split culture. This paper investigates contemporary trends and the relation between the Philosophy of Science and the Philosophy of Computing and Information, which is equivalent to the present relation between Philosophy of Science and Philosophy of Physics.
- ACM/IEEE (2001), Computing Curricula 2001, http://www.computer.org/education/cc2001/index.htmGoogle Scholar
- Bowyer, K.W. (ed.) (2000), Ethics and Computing, Wiley-IEEE Press.Google Scholar
- Bynum, T.W. and Moor, J.H. (1998), The Digital Phoenix, How Computers are Changing Philosophy .Google Scholar
- Carnap, R. (1994), An Introduction to The Philosophy of Science, Basic Books.Google Scholar
- Chaitin, G.J. (1987), Algorithmic Information Theory, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Chalmers, A. (1990), What Is This Thing Called Science?, Hackett Publishing Co.Google Scholar
- Dodig-Crnkovic, G. (2003a), Computing Curricula: Social, Ethical, and Professional Issues, Proceedings Conference for the Promotion of Research in IT at New Universities and at University Colleges in Sweden.Google Scholar
- Dodig-Crnkovic, G. and Crnkovic, I. (2003b), Computing Curricula: Teaching Theory of Science to Computer Science Students, Proceedings Hawaii International Conference on Education.Google Scholar
- Dodig-Crnkovic, G. (2002), Scientific Methods in Computer Science, Proceedings Conference for the Promotion of Research in IT at New Universities and at University Colleges in Sweden.Google Scholar
- Dodig-Crnkovic G. (2001), What Ultimately Matters, Indeed?, Proceedings Conference for the Promotion of Research in IT at New Universities and at University Colleges in Sweden.Google Scholar
- Feyerabend, P. (2000), Against Method, Verso.Google Scholar
- Floridi, L. (2003), Blackwell Guide to the Philosophy of Computing and Information. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Floridi, L. (2002), What is the Philosophy of Information? Metaphilosophy 33(1/2), pp. 123-145.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Floridi, L. (1999), Philosophy and Computing: An introduction, New York: Routledge. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Kuhn, T. (1962), The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, Chicago: University of Chicago Press.Google Scholar
- Lelas, S. (2000), Science and Modernity, Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers.Google Scholar
- Martin, M. and Schinzinger, R., (1989), Ethics In Engineering, New York: McGraw-Hill.Google Scholar
- Mitcham, C. (1994), Thinking Through Technology: The Path Between Engineering and Philosophy, Chicago: University of Chicago Press.Google Scholar
- Newell, A. (1985), in D.G. Bobrow and P.J. Hayes, 'Artificial Intelligence - Where Are We?' Artificial Intelligence 25, p. 3.Google Scholar
- Popper, K.R. (1999), The Logic of Scientific Discovery, New York: Routledge.Google Scholar
- Rheingold, H. (1985), Tools For Thought: The History and Future of Mind-Expanding Technology, New York: Simon & Schuster. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Smith, B.C. (1995), On the Origin of Objects, Cambridge, MA: MIT.Google Scholar
- Sokal A.D. (1996), Transgressing the Boundaries: Towards a Transformative Hermeneutics of Quantum Gravity, Social Text 46/47, pp. 217-252.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Thagard, P.R. (1993), Computational Philosophy of Science, Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Weinberg, S. (2001), Can Science Explain Everything? Anything? The New York Review of Books, May 31, 2001.Google Scholar
- Weinberg, S. (1996), Sokal's Hoax, The New York Review of Books XLIII(13), pp. 11-15.Google Scholar
- Whitehead, A.N. (1997), Science and the Modem World, New York: Free Press.Google Scholar
Index Terms
- Shifting the Paradigm of Philosophy of Science: Philosophy of Information and a New Renaissance
Recommendations
Luciano Floridi's philosophy of information and information ethics: Critical reflections and the state of the art
I describe the emergence of Floridi's philosophy of information (PI) and information ethics (IE) against the larger backdrop of Information and Computer Ethics (ICE). Among their many strengths, PI and IE offer promising metaphysical and ethical ...
Philosophy of Mind Is (in Part) Philosophy of Computer Science
In this paper I argue that whether or not a computer can be built that passes the Turing test is a central question in the philosophy of mind. Then I show that the possibility of building such a computer depends on open questions in the philosophy of ...
From the Philosophy of Information to the Philosophy of Information Culture
The Philosophy of Information, its Nature, and Future DevelopmentsThe contemporary world is experiencing an ongoing cultural change, made both distinctive and far-reaching by the centrality of information and information technologies. In light of this development, we propose a research path in the philosophy of ...
Comments