Radical Empiricism and Empirical Modelling
Lecture Notes and Resources compiled by Meurig Beynon and Steve Russ
for a colloquium on the theme of
Philosophy meets Computer Science: William James and the conception of Empirical Modelling
as presented on December 12th 2008 in conjunction with the module entitled
conceived and delivered by Prof. Hans-Joachim Petsche, Philosophy Department, University of Potsdam, Germany, 2008-9.
Conceptual orientation [09.15]
An example: The OXO laboratory [09.35]
- programming as modelling
- varieties of OXO game
- cognitive layering
- how to give a traditional account of the OXO laboratory?
Philosophical orientation [10.10]
Challenges to the rationalistic (analytic) tradition* and the phenomenological and Jamesian attitude
*as described by Winograd and Flores in Chapter 6 of Understanding Computers and Cognition, Addison-Wesley (1987)
Radical Empiricism and Empirical Modelling [10.30]
How Radical Empiricism helps to give an account of Empirical Modelling
Questions and feedback [11.15]
Break [11.30]
Empirical Modelling and Radical Empiricism [12.15]
- Relating challenges to the rationalistic tradition to RE and EM
- issues for Radical Empiricism
- Why Radical Empiricism? Why RE and EM?
Empirical Modelling illuminating key issues for Radical Empiricism [12.45]
- communication before and beyond words
- pluralism
- formality and informality
- lived experience
More sources and resources [13.45]
Questions and feedback [14.15]
End [14.30]
Appendix added in August 2012
The following poster was devised by Meurig Beynon for presentation at a workshop on Philosophy of the Information and Computing Sciences at the Lorentz Center in Leiden, February 8-12, 2010
Classical Computer Science in the World of Pure Experience
It has been added to this webpage because of its relevance to the theme of the Potsdam colloquium.