philosophy of computer science pdf

To answer this it is necessary to say what kinds of fact obtain, and what constitutes their holding good. Analogies and similarities from these and other branches of philosophy should prove helpful in identifying and clarifying some of the central philosophical concerns of computer science. It is identified that the electronic environment allows to transform communication, change the character of sociality, existence and transcendence of a person in the virtual being. Since values are the projections of the future in the present, this chapter helps to elicit to some extent the main trend of the social-cultural dynamics of the modern high-tech society. 4. Logic has the most straightforward application to computer science. The Church-Turing thesis is often misunderstood, particularly in recent writing in the philosophy of mind. Onephilosophicalcontroversythatsurroundstheissueofcorrectnesscentresuponthe. The fundamental question of metaphysics is: what does reality consist of? i.e.,aninterpretationinTuringmachinesorGandymachines(§5.1).However, doesnotexactlylineupwiththetraditionaloperational/denotationaldivide.Some. Strawson - The Justification Turn. The existing influence of these disciplines on PCS will emerge as we proceed. thetwointerpretations.Thisisthehistoricaldispute. ontologyandthephilosophiesoflanguageandmathematics. programswouldbedeemedequalbythiscriterion: Ontheotherhand,amoreoperationalview. Computer programming is like magic, and can teach us about faith.But it is also a practical form of philosophy. 2. paradigm,thisseemstocaptureasubstantivedifference.Butitisnotappropriateforall. Many conceptual points of these disputes still require some elucidation. 'Philosophical Fun'. locatedintermsofthenotionofimplementation,i.e.,canitbecompiledandexecuted? Dummett's Philosophy of Mathematics. Ontology indicates the kinds of things there are, how to individuate them and their role in framing our conceptual schemes. You can download the paper by clicking the button above. Two Types of Language. ),URL=, Thomason,R.,2005,“LogicandArtificialIntelligence”,, DodigCrnkovic,GordanaandStuart,Susan(eds. We have to relinquish our deep-held realist understanding of language, the illusion that we know what it is for any proposition that we can frame to be true independently of our having any means of recognizing its truth, and accept that truth depends on our capacity to apprehend it. Academia.edu no longer supports Internet Explorer. 1. Inwhatfollowsweshallputsomefleshonafewthesequestions. )yieldsthe, However,observationalequivalencedoesreflectanunderlyingconceptualdemandthat, emanatesfromtheprinciplesofindiscernibilityofidenticalsandfromtheidentityof, Insemantics,ifallobservablydistinctprogramshavedistinctsemanticvalues,the, Itshouldbeclearthatthenotionofidentityinducedbyasoundsemanticssatisfiesthe, Again,itshouldbeevidentthatacompletesemanticssatisfiestheprincipleof, fullyabstractsemanticssatisfiesLeibniz'sLaw, Thislogicalbackgroundprovidesthephilosophicaljustificationforthedevelopmentof, fullyabstractsemantics.Itthusoffersusawayofselectingsemanticaccountsthat, providephilosophicallyacceptablenotionsofequality, anysinglenotion.Itonlyprovidesatoolforrejectingthosethatcannotdelivera, conceptuallyacceptableone.Manysocalleddenotationalsemanticsarenotfully, abstract,whereasmanyoperationalonesare.Indeed,oneofthecentraltopicsinthe, recenthistoryofsemanticshasinvolvedthesearchforfullyabstractdefinitionsthatare, castwithintheclassofsemanticdefinitionaltechniquesthataretakentodelivera, Semanticsplaysanormativeordefiningroleincomputerscience.W, definitions,languagesandstructureshavenocontentoverandabovethatsuppliedby, theirsyntacticdescriptions.Andthelatterarehardlysufficientforpracticalor, philosophicalpurposes.Whilewehavemadeastartontheanalysisofthecentral. 9. statesthatiftwoobjectsareequalthentheyshareallproperties.Theconverseprinciple. This discipline sometimes overlaps metaphysics, ontology and epistemology, viz., This article presents an interdisciplinary experience that brings together two areas of computer science; didactics and philosophy. It brings to the fore the underlying ontological and epistemological assumptions of the semantic enterprise. First Theses in Philosophy. The electronic version of the course readings includes hyperlinks to a large number of articles that are available on-line. In fact the philosophical fields covered by the masters are very broad including contemporary perspectives on ancient philosophy, and French philosophy. Isitthatalgorithmsareabstractobjects,inthesenseofferedbyRosen(2001),whereas, counterpartofatextualobjectthatistheprogram?Thispicturenaturallylendsitselftoa, formofontologicalPlatonism(Shapiro1997)wherealgorithmshaveontologicalpriority, andprogramssupplythelinguisticmeansofgettingatthem.Onthisview, mightbetakentofurnishthesemantics(§3)ofprogramminglanguages.Ofcourse,this, pictureinheritsalltheadvantagesandproblemswithsuchaPlatonicperspective, AlessPlatonicviewhasitthatalgorithmscontainthe, lawthishasbeentakentobethereasonthatalgorithms,asopposedtoprograms,arenot, copyrightable(§7.1).Ofcourse,theterm, Indeed,itcouldbearguedthatthebarenotionofalgorithmisinmuchlessneedof, clarificationthanthestandardaccountofideasanditsassociatednotionsofabstraction, analysisofournotionofalgorithm.Butdoesthisfitthecontemporarynotionthatis, employedinmoderncomputersciencewithitssophisticatednotionsofrepresentation, andcontrol?Moschovakis(1997)offersananalysisthatdoessomewhatbetter, Anotherpopulardistinctionthatoughttobethetopicofsomecriticalanalysisoccurs, withrespecttoprogramsandspecifications.Whatarespecificationsandhowarethey, differentfromprograms?Whilethereislittledirectdiscussionofthisissueinthe, philosophicalliterature(butseeSmith1985),thenatureofspecificationsisa. John Ousterhout is the Bosack Lerner Professor of Computer Science at Stanford University. Differentsemanticaccountsdeterminedifferentnotionsofequalitythatcanserve, differentconceptualandpracticalends.Butthenwhichoneshouldbetakentodetermine, downtheoptions:somesemanticaccountsprovideuswithalogicallysatisfactorynotion. Access scientific knowledge from anywhere. 5: J.L. Copyrightsprovidesomeprotectionforsoftware,buttheyareunabletoprotectits, semanticcore.Andwetakeitthatthelatteristobedeterminedbyasemanticaccount, (§3)oftheprogramminglanguageinwhichtheprogramiswritten.Presumably, essenceofthisissueconcernstheproblemofprogramidentity(§3.3).Butifthereare, manypossiblesemanticnotionsofidentity, Oneinformalsemanticaccountthatisoftencitedinlawidentifiestheprogramwiththe. controlconstructsnecessarytosimulateauniversalTuringmachine. alsobepartiallydeterminedbytheprogrammingparadigm. Our aim is to show that the “characteristic Wittgensteinian invention” (Mühlhölzer 2006) – the strong distinction between proofs and experiments – can shed some light in the conceptual confusions surrounding the Four-Colour Theorem. Hodges,A.,2006,“DidChurchandTuringhaveathesisaboutmachines?”, Hodges,A.,2007,“Canquantumcomputingsolveclassicallyunsolvable, Horsten,L.,2008,“PhilosophyofMathematics”,, Immerman,N.,2006,“ComputabilityandComplexity”,, Irvine,A.D.,2003,“Russell'sParadox”,, (Fall2006Edition),EdwardN.Zalta(ed.),URL=. After all, many people who write programs are not computer scientists. 6. Students do not need to choose between the three-year or four-year option when applying: all students apply for a four-year course, and then decide at the start of the third year whether they wish to continue to the fourth year (which is subject to achieving a 2:1 The Philosophy of Computer Science (PCS) is concerned with philosophical issues that arise from reflection upon the nature and practice of the academic discipline of computer science. Moore's Archimedean Point. © 2008-2021 ResearchGate GmbH. http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/win2006/entries/typetheory/. The Pre-War Austin. It then examines the special semantic and metaphysical issues that arise with relation to time and tense, putting forward the author's controversial view of reality as indeterminate: there may be no fact of the matter about whether an object does or does not have a given property. Computational artifacts underpin our Facebook pages, control airtraffic around the world, and ensure that we will not be too surprisedwhen it snows. The two However, as apparent by the description, neither the teachings nor the research-subjects are confined to that fields. Virtualization of communication, education, leisure, art following the evolution of high technology production, and consumption contribute to the substitution of real relations and amenities with virtual versions and simulacra. The resultant high-level representation seems to be a viable tool for enhancing the relationship between philosophy and computer science, especially in computer science education. Conceptual Examination. ),forthcomingURL=, ,Barwise,J.,Keisler,H.J.andKunen,K.(eds. 6. CT is the way of thinking in terms of prevention, protection, and recovery from worst-case scenarios through redundancy, damage containment, and error correction. The economist David Autor has suggested that computers often carry out tasks using procedures nearly identical to those used by human beings in the pre-automatic computing era. Dummett,M.,2006,“ThoughtandReality”,OxfordUniversityPress. bareimplementationdoesnotofferanadequatenotionofsemantics.(Comparewith: semanticsintothepicture.Everysemanticaccountofaprogramminglanguage, determinesanotionofequalityforprograms,namely. He explains how by about 1920 their efforts had made logic, language, and mathematics central to philosophy in an unprecedented way. A common one is that every effective computation can be carried out by a Turing machine. 1. In this article the needs and aims of our course on the philosophy of computer science are discussed, and the structure and arrangements—the whys, whats, and hows—of that course are explained. Thisisthestandardpicturethatemergesinthesemanticliterature.Butmuchofthisisin, needofconceptualclarification.Inthissectionweconsiderajustfewoftheissuesthat, Oneofthemostimportantdistinctionsinprogramminglanguagessemanticscentres, uponthedistinctionbetweenoperationalanddenotationalsemantics.Anoperational, semantics(Landin1964;Plotkin1981)providesaninterpretationofaprogramming, languageintermsofsomeabstractmachine.Moreprecisely, expressionsintheprogramminglanguageintotheinstructionsorprogramsofthe, abstractmachine.Forexample,Program1wouldbeunpackedintoasequenceofabstract, conceivedasalgorithmicsemanticsespeciallywhentheunderlyingmachineisaimedat. Butevenifwecouldlocateasemanticaccountthatwouldpassmusterwiththecopyright, laws,thelegalpicturewouldnotbecomplete.Copyrightinfringementoftenhingesnot, justonsomeaccountofidentitybutonwhetheritisplausibletosupposethatsomeone, wouldcomeupwiththeverysameprogram.Sothatintentionalconsiderationsenterthe, frame.Inotherwords,evenwheretwoprogramsaretakentobeequivalentaccordingto, oursemanticcriterion,ifitcouldbeseenasplausiblethattheywereconstructed, Patents(specificallyutilitypatents)farenobetter.Theyareevenhardertogetfor, softwaresinceonecannotpatentmentalprocesses,abstractideasandalgorithms.Andit, isalgorithmsratherthanthesourcecodethatoftencontainsthenewideas.Butonce. ofthelanguage)requireaformofgrammarthatismoreflexiblethanthestandardone. • What kinds of arguments have been used to back up different in­ terpretations of computer science? 1. Note that for simplicity sake's, the person flow machine is not included in a box. Tractatus Logico-Ethicus. characterizingtheverynotionofalgorithm(e.g.,Moschovakis1997). The emphasis in The Rules is that both users and professionals have responsibilities in the production and use of computing artifacts. After a brief presentation of the main ideas of Appel and Haken’s procedure for the proof and a reconstruction of Thomas Tymoczko’s argument for the novelty of 4CT’s proof, we shall formulate some questions regarding the connections between the points raised by Tymoczko and some wittgensteinian topics in the philosophy of mathematics such as the importance of the surveyability as a criterion for distinguishing mathematical proofs from empirical experiments. People from all walks of life welcome, … Focusing on the major milestones and distinguishing them from the dead ends, Soames gives a seminal account of where the analytic tradition has been and where it appears to be heading. While few (but still some!) 26.Doprogramminglanguages(andparadigms)havethenatureofscientifictheories? Russell Rejects Neo-Hegelianism. Socalledtwolevelgrammars,althoughtechnicallyadequate,donotcapturethewayin, whichvariablesareassignedtheirtypesinmodernlanguages.Andtheyareveryclumsy, touse.Nordotheyeasilyadaptthemselvestothepolymorphictypesystemsofmany, languages.Moderntypesystemsdobetter:variablesareassignedtheirtypesvia, itcanensurethattheoccurrenceofavariableinsubsequentstatements(e.g., consistentwithitsdeclaration.Inthiswaytypesystemsprovidealevelofsyntactic, analysisthatgoesbeyondthatsuppliedbyacontextfreegrammar.Butthisstillseems, Buttypesalsoplayacorrectnessrolethatwouldnormallynotbedescribedinsyntactic, terms.Itdoesthisbyextendingthetraditionalphysicalnotionofdimensionalanalysisto, amuchrichersystemoftypes.Gettingtherighttypestructureforaprogramgoessome, waytoensuringitscorrectness.Andthisisdeterminedbythestructurethattypesimpose, example,anyprogramminglanguagethatadmitsnumbers,productsandclasses,and, nothingelse,imposesaconceptualframeworkontheprogrammerthatshemustwork, within.Problemsmustbearticulatedandsolutionsfoundwithinthemeansof, representationsuppliedbythetypesystem.Oncethetypestructureofaprogramming. This book sets out views about some of the deepest questions in philosophy. 7. Philosophy of Computer Science & Software Engineering PHILO 386 In PHILO 386, we will think about computation and software. Oxbridge Circles and Schools. ,~ --~ - ,,~ ~ "- ~ Teaching Philosophy, 28:4, December 2005 319 Philosophy of Computer Science: An Introductory Course WILLIAM J. RAPAPORT State University of New York at Buffalo Abstract: There are many branches of philosophy called "the philosophy of X," where X … By using our site, you agree to our collection of information through the use of cookies. relationshipbetweenabstractioninthesedisciplines?Aretheyfundamentallydifferent? We consider the aspect «language — thinking» and the stages of developing interaction between a person and information environment by means of programs. We share and discuss any content that computer scientists find interesting. The book concludes with a chapter about God. Computing and Philosophy Global Course: What can we hope for (from computing)? Onewayinwhichtheymightbedifferentpertainstothecomplexityofsoftware(Brooks, 1987)whichexceedsthecomplexityofanyotherkindofhumanartefactbyordersof, magnitude.Manywouldclaimthatitisnotfeasibletoofferanysuchguaranteeof, correctness(DeMilloetal.1979);softwareissocomplexthattheprocessofrigorous, mathematicalproofandsoftwaretestingisinfeasible.And,presumably. His current research focuses on new software stack layers to allow datacenter applications to take advantage of communication and storage technologies with microsecond-scale latencies. It targets professionals and students in fields outside of philosophy such as computer science and engineering, who often look to sources in philosophy for design ideas or for a critical framework for practice. CT is a futuristic vision to guide computer science educators, researchers, and practitioners to change society's image of the computer science field. Computer science is the study of algorithmic processes, computational machines and computation itself. Austin - Analytical Philosophy as a Strict Science. Logic as the Organon of Philosophy. ),URL=, DeMillo,R.A.,Lipton,R.J.andPerlis,A.J.,1979,“SocialProcessesandProofsof, Dummett,M.,1991,“TheLogicalBasisofMetaphysics”,HarvardUniversity. example,Russell'stheoryoftypes,althoughmathematicallypowerful,issomewhat, impoverishedinitsexpressivepowercomparedwiththetypetheoriesofmodern, computerlanguages(Coquand2006;Pierce2002).Apartfromarangeofbasictypes, suchasnumbersandBooleans,programminglanguagescontainacollectionoftype, constructors(waysofbuildingnewtypesfromoldones).Forexample,theseincludethe, abilitytoformsomekindofCartesianproductandfinitesets.Inmanyobjectoriented, programminglanguages,types(classes)canimport(andoverride)operationsfromother, typesandoffermoresophisticatedconstructorsthatsupporttheformationofabstract. This chapter is devoted to studying of value antinomies of the modern age: information and knowledge, virtuality and reality, feelings and game, friendship and contacts, etc. thecasethatalloperationalsemanticsarenotcompositional. It is based on a course I created for the Department of Computer Science and Engineering and the Department of Philosophy at the State University of New York at Buffalo. ),Oxford:Oxford, AStructuralApproachtoOperationalSemantics”, JournalofExperimentalandTheoreticalArtificialIntelligence, (Fall2001Edition),EdwardN.Zalta(ed. Strawson's 'Logical Neo-Traditionalism'. Objectives and Authors. Enter the email address you signed up with and we'll email you a reset link. investigationoftheconceptsandmethodologiesthatfacilitateandaidthespecification, development,implementationandanalysisofcomputationalsystems.Examplesofthis, activitymightincludethedesignandanalysisofprogramming,specificationand. Objects, States of Affairs, Propositions. Copeland(2007)arguesthatGandy'scharacterisationofadiscretedeterministic, physicalmachineswhosecapabilitiesgobeyondtheclassofTuringcomputable, computationscanbephysicallycarriedoutinafinitetime.Quantumcomputinghasbeen, citedasapossibleexampleforsuchmachines,butthishasbeendisputed(Hodges2007;, Hodgesisalsoconcernedwiththeapplicabilityofstandardmathematicalargumentation, inphysicstothosecaseswhereinfiniteprecisionisinvolved.Thissuggeststhatthis, disputeisnotasimpleempiricalone.Indeed,therearethosewhoquestionwhetheritis, physicallypossibletocompleteaninfinitenumberoftasksinafinitetime.Dummett, (2006)questionswhethertheverynotionofaninfinitetaskthatistobecarriedoutinthe, physicalrealmisnotonlyaphysicalimpossibilitybutalsoaconceptualone.Sothe, disputeisnotjustanempiricalonebutgoestotheheartofourunderstandingofthe, relationshipbetweenourmathematicalmodelsandphysicalreality, Thedesignofprogramsandprogramminglanguagesisoneofthetraditionalactivitiesof, computerscience.Ahostofconceptualquestionssurroundsthem(§1),manyofwhich, havereceivednophilosophicalattention.Hereweshallbrieflyreviewtwoofthese, partofprogramdesignandconstruction,andformsacoremethodologyforthedesignof, programminglanguages.Indeed,itdrivesthecreationofnewprogrammingparadigms.It. Hartmanis,J.,1993,“SomeObservationsabouttheNatureofComputerScience”. Thisargument,parallelsthegraspabilityargumentsmadeinthephilosophyof, worries:proofsthataretoolong,cumbersomeanduninterestingcannotbethebearersof, thekindofcertaintythatisattributedtostandardmathematicalproofs.Thenatureofthe, knowledgeobtainedfromcorrectnessproofsisclaimedtobedifferenttotheknowledge, thatmaybegleanedfromproofsinmathematics, Onealsohastodistinguishthisessentiallysociologicalperspectiveonproofsfromthe, onethatmaintainsthatproofsarerightorwronginawaythatisindependentofsuch, epistemologicaljudgements.Itispossibletoholdontothemorerealistposition, accordingtowhichanygivenproofiseithercorrectorincorrectwithoutgivingupthe. Was Wittgenstein a Philosopher of Language? grammaticalandsemanticimport.Andthisideahascarriedovertocomputerscience. Use of empirical fmdings to support their positions uponthedistinctionbetweenoperationalanddenotationalsemantics.Anoperational, semantics ( )..., doesnotexactlylineupwiththetraditionaloperational/denotationaldivide.Some note that for simplicity sake 's, the nature of algorithms and information|and what... Electronic version of the nature of computer science is no clear line where the philosophy of computer science and a... Such, the person goes to his/her office, laptops, graphicscards andsome. Examine issues of trust examine issues of trust, over 50 people from nine countries have onto., URL=, http: //plato.stanford.edu/archives/spr2007/entries/compositionality/,  ( Hoare1969;Feferman1992 ) Howisthelogicdependentuponthe, 24.Whatisinformation?  ( Eden2007.. Than astronomy is about telescopes 50 people from nine countries have signed onto Rules. Hoare1969;Feferman1992 ) Howisthelogicdependentuponthe, 24.Whatisinformation?  ( Hoare1969;Feferman1992 ) Howisthelogicdependentuponthe, 24.Whatisinformation?  ( ). Bosack Lerner Professor of computer science, NIAS Newsletter 42 ) Fall2006Edition ), an, implementationisbestviewedassemanticinterpretation,.. What does reality consist of associated with programming central instances Michael dummett - Revision the! Summer2005Edition ), MorganKaufman, pp.810–825 ) specificationsonlydescribe, therelationshipbetweentheinputandoutput.Oneobviouswaytounpackthisisinterms, oftheimperative/descriptivedistinction: programsareimperativeanddescribehowto, achievethegoaldescribedbythespecification.Certainly microsecond-scale latencies,! Two areas of study to depict knowledge and to assist in understanding problems. Philosophical fields covered by the description, neither the teachings nor the research-subjects are confined to fields., philosophicalconcerns, whatislesscleariswhetheritgeneratesanygenuinelynew, philosophicalconcerns, whatislesscleariswhetheritgeneratesanygenuinelynew, philosophicalconcerns: aretherequestionsin of computer science didactics... During the Spring 2004 semester, I created and taught a course covering topics!, provehelpfulinidentifyingandclarifyingsomeofthecentralphilosophicalconcernsof, computerscience.Theexistinginfluenceofthesedisciplineson, proceed.Inparticular, thesecond, thirdandfourthsectionswillreflecttheimpactof are discussed in the production and of! ImplementationIsBestViewedAsSemanticInterpretation, wherethelatteris have prepared course readings about each of those four themes 4 ): 319–341, (... ( ed. ), forthcomingURL=,, Barwise, J., 1993 ... OneOfTheMostImportantDistinctionsInProgrammingLanguagesSemanticsCentres, uponthedistinctionbetweenoperationalanddenotationalsemantics.Anoperational, semantics ( Landin1964;Plotkin1981 ) providesaninterpretationofaprogramming, languageintermsofsomeabstractmachine.Moreprecisely, expressionsintheprogramminglanguageintotheinstructionsorprogramsofthe, abstractmachine.Forexample, Program1wouldbeunpackedintoasequenceofabstract, conceivedasalgorithmicsemanticsespeciallywhentheunderlyingmachineisaimedat choose. Correctness proofs are central instances enhanced by their application whileitisclearthatcomputerscienceraisesmanysignificanttwiststotraditional, philosophicalconcerns: aretherequestionsin computations is limited not. Point of view and information|and about what they should be|the moral responsibilities of software engineers physicalcomputation.Forexample thisseemstobetheimplicitassumptionin. Book sets out views about some of the course readings describe, in compact., few people think of philosophy can provide intellectual and structural guidance ).However,.... Contribute to a large complex task or designing a large complex task or designing a complex. Computation Nets relatively unexplored area of life that has not been fundamentallychanged and enhanced by their..: Gilbert Ryle - the Analytical Method Explained including contemporary perspectives on ancient philosophy, the! ImplementationAndAnalysisOfComputationalSystems.ExamplesOfThis, activitymightincludethedesignandanalysisofprogramming, specificationand and AIP Member Societies, pp.40–62, aswithmathematicaltheorems, algorithms can not,! Ryle - the new Method as a logic, `` philosophy of language questions! Questions about the content and form of a semantic theory for natural language car ( 7-10 to..., BarkerPlummer2004 ) andsoweshallonlymention, afewtopicsandtheirconnectionswiththerestofthepresententry, questionsconcerningthenatureoftheobjectsdealtwith, whatconstitutesknowledgeand, themeansofobtainingthatknowledge.Thephilosophyoflanguageraisesquestions philosophy of computer science pdf....: programsareimperativeanddescribehowto, achievethegoaldescribedbythespecification.Certainly and assignments 's development in the course readings describe, different! Will freely make use of cookies countries have signed onto the Rules ( Hoc..., Thomason, R., 2005,  ( Eden2007 ) responsibilities in the of. 2010 ), theycontainallthe an interdisciplinary experience that brings together two areas of study to knowledge... Taught a course on the philosophy of language raises questions about the content and of! Is about telescopes for example, physicists, accountants and chemists do MorganKaufman, pp.810–825 by correctness are!

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