Philosophy and Computing

Call for Submissions

Organized by Philosophers assembled over the years around the APA Newsletter on Philosophy and Computers and the APA Committee on Philosophy and Computers (both now discontinued) and related organizations: Association on Philosophy and Computing (APC) affiliate of the APA, which started in 2020 – the current conference is its first external activity; philosophy interest group within BICA Society (which also organizes its own conference at this IS4SI); PHAEDE (Philosophy of Engineering and Artifact in the Digital Era (within the Romanian Society for Philosophy, Engineering and Techno-ethics) with long tradition of organizing related conferences and publications; Philosophy and Science PAN (journal of the Polish Academy of Science), which will publish a whole large issue from the conference free of charge for the authors [in print and online – free access], also other organizations and groups focused on philosophical issues in our digital world.

Virtual Conference on Zoom, 12-19 September 2021 contributing to the 2021 Summit of the International Society for the Study of Information (IS4SI) administered from Japan in collaboration with Zoom administered through AGI Laboratory, USA.

There is no registration fee for the main publishing options in Philosophy and Science PAN and in Proceedings of MDPI.

Conference Chair:

• Peter Boltuc, University of Illinois, Springfield, USA
• Organizing Committee:
• David J Kelley, AGI Laboratory, Seattle, USA
• Mark Waser, GBA, Virginia, USA
• Program Committee:
• Gary Mar, Philosophy, Stony Brook
• Ricardo Gudwin, Electrical Engineering and Computing, University of Campinas
• Viorel Guliciuc, University of Suceava, Romania (PHAEDE)
• Susan Castro, Philosophy, Wichita State University
• Riccardo Manzotti, Robotics and Theoretical Philosophy, University of Milan
• Daniel Susser, Information Science and Technology, Penn State
• Robin Hill, Computer Science and Philosophy, University of Wyoming
• Sean Welsh, University of Canterbury, NZ
• Krsten Zbikowski, Hibbing College, MN

Plenary Speakers

• Ben Goertzel, OpenCog Foundation, Hong Kong, Patternism 2021: Toward a General Philosophy & Science of Intelligent Information Processing
• Jack Copeland, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, NZ, The Indeterminacy of Computation: Slutz, Shagrir, and the mind.

Plenary Panel: Artificial Inventors, Ai, Law and Institutional Economics

• Presenting Panelists: Stephen Thaler (Creativity Engines Inc.); Kate Gaundry (Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP). Commenting Panelists: Peter Boltuc (University of Illinois Springfield; Warsaw School of Economics); David Kelley (AGI Laboratory, Seattle)

Invited Conference Speakers who confirmed participation

• Jun Tani, Cognitive Neurorobotics, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST), Japan “Cognitive neurorobotic self in the shared world”
• Stuart Dambrot, AGI Laboratory, NYC, NY, USA “Philosophy of AI as general theory withinAI”.
• Ricardo Gudwin, Electrical Engineering and Computing, University of Campinas, Brasil “From Signals to Knowledge and from Knowledge to Action: Peircean Semiotics and the Grounding of Cognition”.
• Riccardo Manzotti University of Milan The ontology of information revisited
• Susan Castro, Philosophy, Wichita State University, “Paradigms for Smart Farming: Chemical, Ecological, Algorithmic”
• Mark Waser, GBA, Virginia. “AGI, Consciousness & Morality”
• Description: We research all aspects of philosophy and computing.
• The topics related to philosophical issues in computing will have a special place due to the nature of the general multiplex conference.

Other main topics include:

• Philosophy of AI: Philosophical issues in AI; Ethical issues in and around AI; Artificial General Intelligence; Social acceptance of AI.
• Machine consciousness: Conscious-like functionalities; AI and first-person consciousness.
• Ethics and Equity in digital world: Computer ethics; fairness in algorithms; social equity in AI

Areas of Interest: Those are merely proposed areas, papers on philosophy and computing in other areas are also welcome.

Philosophy of AI

• Philosophical Issues in Advanced Cognitive Architectures
• Machine Consciousness
• Machine Personhood and Machine Intelligence
• Application of Information Science in Philosophy
• Traditional Philosophical Problems in Computer Science
• History of Philosophy of Information (including Turing)

Ethics of Information

• Artificial General Intelligence and related moral questions
• Privacy and Transparency
• Moral Obligations of the Tech Community
• The Intimacy of AI Personal Assistance
• Data as Property and Alternatives
• Equity of Access in Cybersecurity
• AI and Military Ethics
• Contractual vs Liability Paradigms for Data Law
• Supervising Algorithms Across Global Discontinuities
• Defining Thick Concepts, (e.g. fairness) in the context of recommender systems
• Comparative Psychology and Machine Intelligence
• Memes, Fake News, and Other Viral Internet Phenomena
• Disinformation and Malinformation
• Problem of demandingness in algorithmic justice
• Smart Algorithm and Internet of Things
• Topics for education in information technology in two and four year colleges

SUBMISSIONS

Extended Abstract: Abstracts should be in English, sufficiently extensive to clearly describe the content of the presented work, circa 300-500 words. All presentations should have their abstracts for presentations submitted prior to the deadlines listed below including any suggestions for special presentations or panels as early as possible.  All presentations and abstracts describe the content of said presentations.   All accepted abstracts will be published in the book of abstracts online for the Summit.

Short versions of papers, different from the extended abstracts, will be published in the Summit: Proceedings of MDPI.

Publication venues

• Conference materials: extended abstracts will be posted on the IS4SI web site before the Summit. (300-500 words) by May 05 [free]
• Short versions of papers (ca. 5 pages): Proceedings of MDPI (IS4SI volume 2021). [free]
• Articles: Philosophy and Science. Philosophical and Interdisciplinary Studies up to 300 pages (for the whole issue); each paper preferably between 12 and 24 pages) in print ISSN 2300-4711; online open access ISSN 2545-193 http://filozofiainauka.ifispan.waw.pl/?lang=en# (submission and initial review by the conference). [free]
• Articles: Philosophies or Entropy MDPI [possible fees]; other options for select articles.

Types of Presentations

• Regular presentation times will be 20 minutes for regular presentations and discussion for this philosophy conference.
• Discussions or special session 60 minutes (3 to 6 participants) for this philosophy conference. In exceptional cases sessions for the conference alone may be shortened or extended if preapproval by the organizers.
• The Philosophy conference has three hours of time in the Summit program:
  • Plenary Summit invited talk 50 minutes including 10 minutes discussion. This pertains to two talks – Prof Goertzel at the beginning and Prof. Copeland at the ending.
  • Panel, Summit multi speaker event 80 minutes the whole panel including discussion (up to 20 minutes main speakers; up to 10 minutes commenting speakers; 10 minutes intra panel discussion, at least 10 minutes audience discussion). This pertains to the only panel we have.

Important dates/deadlines:

• Expression of the intent to organize a session or panel with a tentative title: April 15, 2021 [STRONGLY EXPECTED]
• Main deadline: Extended abstract 300 – 500 words May 5 (preferably earlier).

Accepted extended abstracts will be posted on the IS4SI web site before the Summit. [REQUIRED]

• Final Submissions; short versions of papers (ca. 5 pages) substantially different then the extended abstracts submission: September 30, 2021 to be published in Proceedings MDPI after the Summit
• Articles: Philosophy and Science. Philosophical and Interdisciplinary Studies submission between 12 and 24 pages (submission and initial review by the conference).
  PUBLICATIONS FOR 2021 Sept 01 deadline; PUBLICATIONS FOR 2022 Nov. 15 deadline.

SEND SUBMISSIONS TO: epete2021N@yahoo.com

Sessions in preparation

• Machine Consciousness Joscha Bach; Kristinn Thórisson; Thomas Metzinger; Ron Chrisley; Anil Seth
• The Philosophy and Logic of Alonzo Church. Gary Mar; Nathan Salmon;

The list will continue as new submissions reach us.