APA
Committee on
Philosophy and Computers
Committee Report
1997
The following appears in Volume 71, Number
5 (May, 1998) of the Proceedings and Addresses of the American Philosophical
Association.
This is a report from the Past Chair
(Bynum) and current Chair (Moor)of the APA Committee on Philosophy and Computing. The
report was delayed a few months because the enclosed book--The Digital Phoenix: How
Computers Are Changing Philosophy--is part of the report, and its publication was
delayed.
TERRY BYNUM'S STATEMENT: This is my "Final
Report" as Chair for the term 1994-1997. My colleague, Jim Moor, has now assumed the
Chair. During my three-year term, the Committee completed a number of projects:
1. Reorganizing the Newsletter on Philosophy and
Computing: A new Editorial Board was appointed and new features were added to the
Newsletter. (I'm sure you will agree that there has been a dramatic improvement in the
Newsletter!)
2. Advising the Executive Director on moving the APA
Website to the National Office in Delaware: The move was made smoothly and successfully.
3. Helping to Select Winners of the EDUCOM Prize: The
Past and Current Committee Chairs served on the Selection Committee to select the winners
of the 1997 EDUCOM Prize.
4. Sponsoring Multiple Sessions at APA Divisional
Meetings: Almost every APA Meeting (Eastern, Central, Western) for three years included
special sessions arranged by the Committee. These were part of the Digital Phoenix Project
(described below).
5. Conducting a National Survey of Philosophy Departments
on How Philosophers Are Using Computing: Three questionnaires were sent to every
philosophy department in North America. A strong and informative response enabled the
Committee to prepare three reports on how philosophers are using computers for
philosophical research, teaching of philosophy, and cooperation with other philosophers on
professional activities. The survey and reports were part of the Digital Phoenix Project
and are included in the enclosed book.
6. Continuing to Co-Sponsor the Yearly CAP Conferences
with Carnegie Mellon University: The Committee regularly cooperated with Robert Cavalier
and his colleagues at Carnegie Mellon to organize and run the yearly Computers and
Philosophy Conferences each August. A number of the presentations from these conferences
are included in the Digital Phoenix book.
7. The Digital Phoenix Project: Results of
Committee-sponsored presentations and surveys were assembled and edited to create the book
The Digital Phoenix: How Computers Are Changing Philosophy published recently by Basil
Blackwell. (your copy is enclosed)It has been a great pleasure for me, and a very
productive experience,to have had the opportunity to serve as Chair of the Committee on
Philosophy and Computing. I thank the Board of Officers for thisopportunity.
JAMES MOOR'S STATEMENT:The Committee on Philosophy and
Computing will continue to promote the interaction between philosophy and computing. In
the coming years, the Committee will have sessions at each meeting of each division. For
example, at the coming Central Division Meeting there will be a session showing how to
broadcast conference sessions on the internet using that session featuring lectures by Jon
Barwise and John Etchemendy, winners of the EDUCOM prize, as an example. Philosophy has
taken a definite computational turn and this new direction will benefit philosophy in all
areas including teaching, research, and administration. In closing, I want to praise
Terry Bynum for his excellent leadership of the Committee on Philosophy and Computing for
the past three years. He hasdone as much as anyone to make the computational turn in
philosophy a reality. Our profession owes him a great debt.
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