Philosophy of computer science : an introduction to the issues and the literature /: an introduction to the issues and the literature. (2023)

• Record Type: Book
• Further Information: Note: William J. Rapaport.
• Authors: Rapaport, William J
• Contents: List of Figures xvi Preface xviii About the Companion Website xx Part I Philosophy and Computer Science 1 1 An Introduction to the Philosophy of Computer Science 3 1.1 What This Book Is About 3 1.2 What This Book Is Not About 5 2 Philosophy: A Personal View 7 2.1 Introduction 7 2.2 A Definition of ‘Philosophy’ 8 2.3 What Is Truth? 9 2.3.1 Correspondence Theories of Truth 10 2.3.2 Coherence Theories of Truth 10 2.3.3 Correspondence vs. Coherence 10 2.4 Searching for the Truth 13 2.4.1 Searching vs. Finding 13 2.4.2 Asking “Why?” 14 2.4.3 Can There Be Progress in Philosophy? 15 2.4.4 Skepticism 16 2.5 What Is “Rational”? 17 2.5.1 Logical Rationality 17 2.5.2 Scientific Rationality 20 2.5.3 Computational Rationality 21 2.5.4 Is It Always Rational to Be Rational? 21 2.6 Philosophy as a Personal Search 22 2.7 Philosophies of Anything and Everything 23 2.8 Philosophy and Computer Science 25 2.9 Appendix: Argument Analysis and Evaluation 25 2.9.1 Introduction 25 2.9.2 A Question-Answer Game 26 2.9.3 Missing Premises 27 2.9.4 When Is an Argument a “Good” Argument? 30 2.9.5 Examples of Good and Bad Arguments 34 2.9.6 Summary 35 Part II Computer Science, Computers, and Computation 37 3 What Is Computer Science? 39 3.1 Introduction 39 3.2 Naming the Discipline 39 3.3 Why Ask What CS Is? 40 3.4 What Does It Mean to Ask What Something Is? 42 3.4.1 Determining Boundaries 42 3.4.2 Extensional and Intensional Definition 45 3.5 CS as the Science of Computers 47 3.5.1 Objection: Computers Are Not Natural 48 3.5.2 Objection: Computers Are Tools, Not Phenomena 49 3.5.3 Digression: The Once-upon-a-Time Science of Microscopy 51 3.5.4 Objection: CS Is Just a Branch of … 52 3.5.5 Objection: What about Algorithms? 52 3.6 CS Studies Algorithms 53 3.6.1 Only Algorithms? 53 3.6.2 Or Computers, Too? 55 3.7 Physical Computers vs. Abstract Algorithms 56 3.8 CS Studies Information 57 3.9 CS as a Mathematical Science 58 3.10 CS as a Natural Science of Procedures 61 3.11 CS as an Empirical Study 63 3.12 CS as Engineering 64 3.13 Science xor Engineering? 66 3.14 CS as “Both” 66 3.15 CS as “More” 68 3.15.1 CS as a New Kind of Science 68 3.15.2 CS as a New Kind of Engineering 70 3.16 CS as “Neither” 71 3.16.1 CS as Art 71 3.16.2 CS as the Study of Complexity 71 3.16.3 CS as the Philosophy(!) of Procedures 72 3.16.4 CS as Computational Thinking 72 3.16.5 CS as AI 73 3.16.6 Is CS Magic? 74 3.17 Summary 76 3.18 Questions for the Reader 77 4 Science 78 4.1 Introduction 78 4.2 Science and Non-Science 79 4.3 Science as Systematic Study 80 4.4 The Goals of Science 81 4.4.1 Description 81 4.4.2 Explanation 82 4.4.3 Prediction 82 4.5 Instrumentalism vs. Realism 83 4.6 Scientific Theories 85 4.7 “The” Scientific Method 86 4.8 Falsifiability 88 4.8.1 Science as Conjectures and Refutations 88 4.8.2 The Logic of Falsifiability 89 4.8.3 Problems with Falsifiability 90 4.9 Scientific Revolutions 90 4.10 Other Alternatives 91 4.11 CS and Science 91 4.11.1 Is CS a Science? 91 4.11.2 What Kind of Science Might CS Be? 92 4.12 Questions to Think About 93 5 Engineering 95 5.1 Defining ‘Engineering’ 95 5.2 Engineering as Science 97 5.3 A Brief History of Engineering 98 5.4 Conceptions of Engineering 99 5.5 What Engineers Do 100 5.5.1 Engineering as Design 100 5.5.2 Engineering as Building 100 5.6 The Engineering Method 101 5.7 Software Engineering 102 5.8 CS and Engineering 104 5.9 Questions to Think About 105 6 Computers: A Brief History 107 6.1 Introduction 107 6.2 Would You Like to Be a Computer? 108 6.3 Two Histories of Computers 109 6.4 The Engineering History 109 6.4.1 Ancient Greece 109 6.4.2 Seventeenth Century Calculating Machines 110 6.4.3 Babbage’s Machines 110 6.4.4 Electronic Computers 111 6.4.5 Modern Computers 112 6.5 The Scientific History 113 6.6 The Histories Converge 116 6.7 What Is a Computer? 116 6.7.1 An Engineering Answer 116 6.7.2 A Scientific Answer 117 7 Algorithms and Computability 119 7.1 Introduction 119 7.2 Functions and Computation 120 7.2.1 Mathematical Functions 120 7.2.2 Functions Described Extensionally 121 7.2.3 Functions Described Intensionally 123 7.2.4 Function “Machines” 125 7.2.5 Computable Functions 126 7.3 ‘Algorithm’ Made Precise 128 7.3.1 Ancient Algorithms 128 7.3.2 “Effectiveness” 128 7.3.3 Three Attempts at Precision 129 7.4 Five Great Insights of CS 134 7.4.1 Insight 1: Representation 134 7.4.2 Insight 2: Processing 135 7.4.3 Insight 3: Structure 136 7.4.3.1 Structured Programming (I) 136 7.4.3.2 Digression – Recursive Definitions 137 7.4.3.3 Structured Programming (II) 138 7.4.4 Insight 4: The Church-Turing Computability Thesis 139 7.4.5 Insight 5: Implementation 141 7.5 Structured Programming 142 7.5.1 Basic Programs 142 7.5.2 Program Constructors 143 7.5.3 Classification of Structured Programs 144 7.6 Recursive Functions 144 7.6.1 A Recursive Definition of Natural Numbers 144 7.6.2 Recursive Definitions of Recursive Functions 145 7.6.3 Classification of Recursive Functions 149 7.7 Non-Computable Functions 150 7.7.1 The Halting Problem 150 7.7.2 Proof Sketch that H Is Not Computable 153 7.8 Summary 155 7.9 Questions for the Reader 155 8 Turing’s Analysis of Computation 157 8.1 Introduction 157 8.2 Slow and Active Reading 158 8.3 Title: “The Entscheidungsproblem” 158 8.4 Paragraph 1 159 8.4.1 “ ‘Computable’ Numbers” 159 8.4.2 “Written By a Machine” 160 8.5 Paragraph 2 160 8.5.1 “Naturally Regarded as Computable” 160 8.5.2 “Definable Numbers” 161 8.6 Section 1, Paragraph 1: “Computing Machines” 161 8.7 Section 9: “The Extent of the Computable Numbers” 162 8.7.1 Turing’s Computability Thesis 162 8.7.2 “Writing Symbols on Paper” 163 8.7.3 States of Mind 166 8.7.4 Operations 167 8.7.5 Another “Simple Operation” 169 8.7.6 “Immediate Recognisability” 169 8.7.7 Summary of Operations 170 8.7.8 “States of Mind” 170 8.7.9 Turing Machines, Turing’s Thesis, and AI 172 8.8 “Computing Machines” 174 8.8.1 “Man” and “Machine” 175 8.8.2 Closure Clause: Turing’s Thesis 178 8.9 Section 2: “Definitions” 178 8.9.1 “Automatic Machines” 178 8.9.2 “Choice Machines” 179 8.9.3 “Computing Machines” 179 8.9.4 “Complete Configurations” 180 8.9.5 “Circular and Circle-Free Machines” 181 8.9.6 “Circ
• Edition: 1st
• Publisher Details: Chichester : Wiley Blackwell
• Publication Date: 2023
• Extent: 1 online resource (528 pages)
• Subjects: 004; Computer science -- Philosophy
• Languages: English
• ISBNs: 9781119891925
• Related ISBNs: 9781119891901
• Notes: Note: Includes bibliographical references and index.; Note: Description based on CIP data; resource not viewed.
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