International Association for Computing and Philosophy (IACAP)
First International Conference of IACAP:celebrating 25 years of Computing and Philosophy (CAP) conferences
“The Computational Turn: Past, Presents, Futures?”
Aarhus University – July 4-6, 2011
IACAP 11 – CALL FOR PAPER
“The Computational Turn: Past, Presents, Futures?”
In the West, philosophical attention to computation and computational devices is at least as old as Leibniz. But since the early 1940s, electronic computers have evolved from a few machines filling several rooms to widely diffused – indeed, ubiquitous – devices, ranging from networked desktops, laptops, smartphones and “the internet of things.” Along the way, initial philosophical attention – in particular, to the ethical and social implications of these devices (so Norbert Wiener, 1950) – became sufficiently broad and influential as to justify the phrase “the computational turn” by the 1980s. In part, the computational turn referred to the multiple ways in which the increasing availability and usability of computers allowed philosophers to explore a range of traditional philosophical interests – e.g., in logic, artificial intelligence, philosophical mathematics, ethics, political philosophy, epistemology, ontology, to name a few – in new ways, often shedding significant new light on traditional issues and arguments. Simultaneously, computer scientists, mathematicians, and others whose work focused on computation and computational devices often found their work to evoke (if not force) reflection and debate precisely on the philosophical assumptions and potential implications of their research. These two large streams of development – especially as calling for necessary interdisciplinary dialogues that crossed what were otherwise often hard disciplinary boundaries – inspired what became the first of the Computing and Philosophy (CAP) conferences in 1986 (devoted to Computer-Assisted Instruction in philosophy).
Since 1986, CAP conferences have grown in scope and range, to include a bewildering array of intersections between computation and philosophy as explored across a global range of cultures and traditions. In keeping with what has now become a significant tradition, IACAP‟11 will accept presentations across this array and range. At the same time, in order to recognize and celebrate the 25th anniversary of the CAP conferences, we specifically encourage submissions that include attention to the past, present(s), and possible future(s) of their foci as expressions of this computational turn.
SUBMISSIONS – due MARCH 15, 2011
Authors should submit an electronic version of an extended abstract (total word count approximately 1000 words) to the chair of the track most closely affiliated with the proposed paper topic(s): see list of tracks and chair(s) below. The file should also contain a 350 word abstract that will be used for the conference web site/booklet.
PLEASE E-MAIL YOUR SUBMISSION TO iacap11@gmail.com or to the corresponding TRACK CHAIR.
IMPORTANT HINT: if you are a PhD- or post-doc student who would like for your paper to be considered in the competition for the travel bursaries, be sure to indicate this in your submission.
iacap11 