Philosophy through Computer Science: An Introduction

What do philosophy and computer science have in common? It turns out, quite a lot!

In providing an introduction to computer science (using Python), Daniel Lim presents in this book key philosophical issues, ranging from external world skepticism to the existence of God to the problem of induction. These issues, and others, are introduced through the use of critical computational concepts, ranging from image manipulation to recursive programming to elementary machine learning techniques. In illuminating some of the overlapping conceptual spaces of computer science and philosophy, Lim teaches readers fundamental programming skills and allows them to develop the critical thinking skills essential for examining some of the enduring questions of philosophy.

Key Features

• Teaches readers actual computer programming, not merely ideas about computers
• Includes fun programming projects (like digital image manipulation and Game of Life simulation), allowing the reader to develop the ability to write larger computer programs that require decomposition, abstraction, and algorithmic thinking
• Uses computational concepts to introduce, clarify, and develop a variety of philosophical issues
• Covers various aspects of machine learning and relates them to philosophical issues involving science and induction as well as to ethical issues
• Provides a framework to critically analyze arguments in classic and contemporary philosophical debates

Daniel Lim is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at Duke Kunshan University and a Research Fellow at the Center for Philosophy and Cognitive Science at Renmin University of China. He works in philosophy of mind, philosophy of religion, experimental philosophy, and the intersection of philosophy and computation. He is the author of God and Mental Causation (2015).