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Preface of Computer Epistemology, 1991
- Central European University Press
- Chapter
- Additional Information
Preface of Computer Epistemology This book is neither a textbook nor a monograph, but an essay. The style is defined by the subject and the objective. The subject matter lies in an area between computer science and philosophy, while the objective is to offer something between a general overview and practical advice. An essay is the form best suited for a work of this intermediate nature. The thoughts presented here are the results of extensive practical experience: a decade in computer process control using large scale systems, another decade in machine pattern-recognition for vision systems, and nearly a decade dealing with artificial intelligence and expert systems. These real-life projects have taught me a critical appreciation of and respect for both abstract theory and the practical methodology that grows out of—and, in turn, shapes—those theories. As i dealt with the basic problems of large-scale systems modeling and control, my professional career—although seemingly diverse to an observer—led to this balanced view of the pros and cons of theory and practice. From that perspective, this essay can be read as a philosophical reflection on large scale systems’ practice, but this mirror also works in the opposite direction as well, as do most of our meditations . That is a natural aspect of any approach to the unreachable. studying the philosophical background, nowadays mostly forgotten in the literature of artificial intelligence, i could find practically all the most recent technical ideas, presented more or less clearly, as far back as Greek Antiquity. As will be discussed in further detail , the flourishing of Greek philosophy around the 3rd century bCE, medieval science, especially the british schools of the 12–14th century , and the Age of reason in the 17–18th century, have all contributed tremendously to those ideas about truth and falsity on which we i3 Vámos.indb 3 2/5/10 4:10:51 PM 4 KNOWLEDGE AND COMPUTING now base our computer algorithms. This discovery was another lesson in modesty, and a further incentive to reach back as far as possible in the history of human thinking. often the process of progress , the stories of unanswered questions, are as instructive as the phylogenetic processes of evolution. Nevertheless, as an essay this book is not intended as a survey of philosophy. it uses only those citations which were found to fit the essence of what i wanted to say. That essence is really the balanced viewpoint i described above. The twentieth century has been filled with great, messianic promises and equally profound disappointments. This has happened not only in politics, economics, and technology, but can also be seen in the rapid changes and controversial directions of various arts. This was not the only century to claim first place in many aspects of life. As we have learned in systems science, non-linear behavior leads to chaotic disorder, and can reach new equilibria only by going through excessive perturbations. one major vehicle of the twentieth century’s technological progress is computer science. At its heart lie those efforts which could be modestly characterized as automated support for human work, but are more commonly known as artificial intelligence. All kinds of extreme views and perspectives on Ai can be found in the literature, both in philosophy and computer science, but also in sociology , psychology and science fiction as well. This essay should be seen as a contribution to this on-going discussion, one that consists of both experience and insight, as described above. For whom is this book written? Textbooks are written for students or those who would like to become acquainted with another field of knowledge related to their own work. monographs are usually intended for a close circle of those who have special expertise; popular books aim for a very broad audience interested in some exciting new topic. An essay is written first for the author, as a device for organization and clarification of his own Weltanschauung. in the closest circle around this narcissistic center are those who have had similar thoughts and experiences, and the essay can be helpful to them in the further organization and clarification of these shared concerns. The next circle of the audience includes all those who have some professional interest in the topic as developers, users, or others concerned in some way. This determines the core i3 Vámos.indb 4 2/5/10 4:10:51 PM [34.230.77.67] Project MUSE (2024-03-29 15:02 GMT) 5...