The Philosophy of Information, its Nature, and Future Developments

The Information Society An International Journal, Volume 25 Issue 3 2009 has just published a special issue on the philosophy of information. Here is the tale of contents:

INTRODUCTION
	The Information Society and Its Philosophy: Introduction to the Special Issue on “The Philosophy of Information, Its Nature, and Future Developments” 153 – 158 Author: Luciano Floridi DOI: 10.1080/01972240902848583
ARTICLES
	Floridi's Philosophy of Information and Information Ethics: Current Perspectives, Future Directions 159 – 168 Author: Charles Ess DOI: 10.1080/01972240902848708
	From the Philosophy of Information to the Philosophy of Information Culture 169 – 174 Authors: Adam Briggle; Carl Mitcham DOI: 10.1080/01972240902848765
	Epistemic Values and Information Management 175 – 189 Authors: Don Fallis; Dennis Whitcomb DOI: 10.1080/01972240902848831
	Developing the Information and Knowledge Agenda in Information Systems: Insights From Philosophy 190 – 197 Authors: Leslie Willcocks; Edgar A. Whitley DOI: 10.1080/01972240902848880

Against Digital Ontology

Against Digital Ontology, Synthese, 2009, 168.1, (2009), 151-178.

Abstract

The paper argues that digital ontology (the ultimate nature of reality is digital, and the universe is a computational system equivalent to a Turing Machine) should be carefully distinguished from informational ontology (the ultimate nature of reality is structural), in order to abandon the former and retain only the latter as a promising line of research. Digital vs. analogue is a Boolean dichotomy typical of our computational paradigm, but digital and analogue are only “modes of presentation” of Being (to paraphrase Kant), that is, ways in which reality is experienced or conceptualised by an epistemic agent at a given level of abstraction. A preferable alternative is provided by an informational approach to structural realism, according to which knowledge of the world is knowledge of its structures. The most reasonable ontological commitment turns out to be in favour of an interpretation of reality as the totality of structures dynamically interacting with each other.

The paper is the first part (the pars destruens) of a two-part piece of research. The pars construens, entitled “A Defence of Informational Structural Realism”, is developed in a separate article, also published in this journal.

InterFace 2009:1st National Symposium for Humanities and Technology

First Call for Papers

InterFace is a new type of annual event. Part conference, part workshop, part networking opportunity, it will bring together postdocs, early career academics and postgraduate researchers from the fields of Information Technology and the Humanities in order to foster cutting-edge collaboration. As well as having a focus on Digital Humanities, it will also be an important forum for Humanities contributions to Computer Science. The event will furthermore provide a permanent web presence for communication between delegates both during, and following, the conference.

Delegate numbers are limited to 80 (half representing each sector) and all participants will be expected to present a poster or a ‘lightning talk’ (a two minute presentation) as a stimulus for discussion and networking sessions. Delegates can also expect to receive illuminating keynote talks from world-leading experts, presentations on successful interdisciplinary projects, ‘Insider’s Guides’ and workshops. The registration fee for the two-day event is £30. For a full overview of the event, please visit the website.

Paper Submissions:

If you are interested in attending, please submit an original paper, of 1500 words or less, describing an idea or concept you wish to present. Please indicate whether you would prefer to produce a poster or perform a 2-minute lightning talk. Papers must be produced as a PDF or in Microsoft Word (.doc) format and submitted through our EasyChair page:

- Register for an easy chair account:
http://www.easychair.org/conferences/account_apply.cgi
- Log in: https://www.easychair.org/?conf=interface09
- Click New Submission at the top of the page and fill in the form.
Make sure you:
- Select your preference of lightning talk or poster.
- Select whether you are representing humanities or technology.
- Attach and upload your paper.
If you encounter any problems, please e-mail submissions@interface09.org.uk
A number of travel bursaries may be available to successful applicants
- if you would like to be considered for one, please email bursaries@interface09.org.uk and provide grounds for consideration.

Papers should focus on potential (and realistic) areas for collaboration between the Technology and Humanities Sectors, either by addressing particular problems, new developments, or both. Prior work may be presented where relevant but the nature of the paper must be forward-looking. As such, the scope is extremely broad but topics might include:

Technology
* 3D immersive environments
* Pervasive technologies
* Online collaboration
* Natural language processing
* Sensor networks
* The Semantic Web
* Agent based modelling
* Web Science
Humanities
* Spatial cognition
* Text editing and analysis
* New Media
* Linguistics
* Applied sociodynamics & social network analysis
* Archaeological reconstruction
* Information Ethics
* Dynamic logics
* Electronic corpora

Due to the limited number of places, papers will be subject to review by committee in order to maintain quality and a balanced programme. Applicants will be notified by email as to their acceptance. Accepted papers will be published online one week in advance of the conference.

Important Dates:
* Paper Submission Deadline: 1 May 2009
* Acceptances Announced: 18 May 2009
* Conference: 9th-10th July 2009
Confirmed Speakers
Keynote:
* Dame Wendy Hall, University of Southampton,
President of the Association of Computing Machinery
Insider’s Guides:
* Stephen Brown, De Montfort University
Knowledge Media Design
* Ed Parsons
Geospatial Technologist, Google
* Sarah Porter
Head of Innovation, JISC
Project Showcase:
* Mary Orr & Mark Weal, University of Southampton
Digital Flaubert
* Adrian Bell, University of Reading
The Soldier in Later Medieval England
* Kathy Buckner, Napier University
TBC
Workshops:
1) Text Encoding Initiative (TEI)
Arianna Ciula, European Science Foundation & Sebastian Rahtz, Oxford University
2) Visualisation
Facilitator TBC
3) Data Management
Facilitator TBC
4) New Media
Claire Ainsworth & John Copley, University of Southampton
For further information, please visit the conference website or e-mail admin@interface09.org.uk.

The 2009 North American Conference on Computing and Philosophy

NA-CAP@IU 2009: Networks and Their Philosophical Implications

June 14th - 16th

At Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana

In recent years, across several different academic disciplines, including biology, computer science, cognitive science, informatics, philosophy and psychology, a shift in the study of complex systems is readily visible. This shift away from a focus on the individual components of a system to the interrelations between them has provided the groundwork for what might broadly be called a "network" perspective, as it has become increasingly clear that simple components can produce astoundingly complex and varied behavior when they work in consort. Evidence for this observation is seen everywhere from biological neural networks, stigmergic systems, and animal behavior to networked computing, social networking, and dynamic systems. This conference will explore the philosophical implications of this network perspective as it applies to the broader scope of topics studied by our association.

Conference highlights include keynote lectures from William Bechtel (University of California, San Diego) and Olaf Sporns (Indiana University), both of whom will speak about new research in biological networks. The conference will additionally feature panel sessions on Logic Pedagogy and Networks and Social Network Effects. The IACAP is also pleased to acknowledge this year's recipient of the Goldberg Graduate Award, Matteo Turilli (University of Oxford) for his paper, "Translating Ethical Requirements into Software Specifications," which he will be presenting at this conference.

Individual conference sessions will be dedicated to:
o Biological and Artificial Networks
o Computation and Representation
o Modeling, Epistemology and Cooperation
o Networks, Networked Computing and Robotics
o Bayesian and Semantic Networks
o Group Cognition, eTrust and Network Neutrality
o Social Networks, Privacy and the Self
Details are available on our Program page.

The International Association for Computing and Philosophy would like to acknowledge the generosity of the Department of Philosophy and the Cognitive Science Program at Indiana University, and the support of the university generally, not only for their financial contributions, but more importantly for their cooperation in helping with the arrangements, their intellectual openness to the study of computing and philosophy, and the willingness of their graduate students and faculty to participate in our conference.

________________________________________

Program Director: Tony Beavers, University of Evansville

Assistant Program Director: Mara Harrell, Carnegie Mellon University

Conference Host: Colin Allen, Indiana University

Logic Pedagogy and Networks Program Chair: Marvin Croy, University of North Carolina, Charlotte

Social Networking Program Chair: Dylan Wittkower, Coastal Carolina University

NA-CAP Director: Selmer Bringsjord, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

NA-CAP Steering Committee:
Don Berkich, Texas A&M University, Corpus Christi
David Stern, University of Iowa
Mara Harrell, Carnegie Mellon University
IACAP President: Luciano Floridi, University of Hertfordshire & University of Oxford

This conference is one of several regional conferences associated with the International Association for Computing and Philosophy. To learn more about the IACAP, including its other conferences and membership details, visit the organization's website at http://ia-cap.org.