Philosophy and DH

1 Defining DH?

• Philosophy defines humanities.
• We add 'digital' to 'humanities' and define DH.
• But how should we define 'humanities'?

2 Methodology?

• The value of digital methods differs between disciplines.
• Philosophy cannot tell scholars how to do their work.
• Digital methodologies must be developed in the disciplines.

3 Epistemology?

• What is 'knowledge' in the humanities anyway?
• What is 'knowledge' anyway?
• And is it knowledge we are after in the humanities?

4 Philosophy No Part Of the Humanities

• Some parts of philosophy are closer to the natural sciences.
• DH in one perspective: fusion of humanities and sciences
• Philosophy can help to build bridges.

5 Case Study: Computer-based Proofs In Mathematics

• 1976: Computer-based proof of the 4-colour-problem
• Is this a mathematical proof?
• Two Camps: Optimists and Pessimists

5.1 Case Study (II): Optimists

• Burge 1998: Computer programs are themselves mathematical.
• Computer may have physical defects.
• But humans make mistakes, too.
• Computers are designed to be correct.
• In discussing human proofs, we don't discuss human hardware.

5.2 Case Study (III): What can go wrong?

• Arkoudas 2007: Operating system (algorithms and implementation)
• Semantics of programming language (does it keep its promises?)
• Compiler implementation of programming language
• Hardware integrity
• The sun

5.3 What does this mean for DH?

• One way out: special purpose machines, built to solve one problem
• For the forseeable future, we continue to use general purpose computers
• Computers are black boxes; trade-off between transparency and pragmatic purposes

6 References

• Konstantine Arkoudas, Selmer Bringsjord, "Computers, Justification, and Mathematical Knowledge", in: Minds & Machines (17) 2007, 185–202
• Tyler Burge, "Computer Proof, Apriori Knowledge, and Other Minds: The Sixth Philosophical Perspectives Lecture", in: Noûs (32) 1998, supplement, 1-37