Johnny Hartz Søraker

Philosophy of computing and information technology

Philosophy has been described as having taken a “computational turn,” referring to the ways in which computers and information technology throw new light upon traditional philosophical issues, provide new tools and concepts for philosophical reasoning, and pose theoretical and practical questions that cannot readily be approached within traditional philosophical frameworks. As such, computer technology is arguably the technology that has had the most profound impact on philosophy. Philosophers have studied computer technology and its philosophical implications extensively. Philosophers have discovered computers and information technology (IT) as research topics, and a wealth of research is taking place on philosophical issues in relation to these technologies. The research agenda is broad and diverse. Issues that are studied include the nature of computational systems, the ontological status of virtual worlds, the limitations of artificial intelligence, philosophical aspects of data modeling, the political regulation of cyberspace, the epistemology of Internet information, ethical aspects of information privacy and security, and many more. Philosophy has been described as having taken a ‘computational turn’, referring to the ways in which computers and information technology throw new light upon traditional philosophical issues, provide new tools and concepts for philosophical reasoning, and pose theoretical and practical questions that cannot readily be approached within traditional philosophical frameworks. As such, computer technology is arguably the technology that has had the most profound impact on philosophy. Philosophers have studied computer technology and its philosophical implications extensively, and this chapter gives an overview of the field. We start with definitions and historical overviews of the field and its various subfields. We then consider studies of the fundamental nature and basic principles of computing and computational systems, before moving on to philosophy of computer science, which investigates the nature, scope and methods of computer science. Under this heading, we will also address such topics as data modeling, ontology in computer science, programming languages, software engineering as an engineering discipline, management of information systems, the use of computers for simulation, and human-computer interaction. Subsequently, we will address the issue in computing that has received the most attention from philosophers, artificial intelligence (AI). The purpose of this section is to give an overview of the philosophical issues raised by the notion of creating intelligent machines. We consider philosophical critiques of different approaches within AI and pay special attention to philosophical studies of applications of AI. We then turn to a section on philosophical issues pertaining to new media and the Internet, including the convergence between media and digital computers. The theoretical and ethical issues raised by this relatively recent phenomenon are diverse. We will focus on philosophical theories of the ‘information society’, epistemological and ontological issues in relation to Internet information and virtuality, the philosophical study of social life online and cyberpolitics, and issues raised by the disappearing borders between body and artifact in cyborgs and virtual selves. The final section in this chapter is devoted to the many ethical questions raised by computers and information technology, as studied in computer ethics.

How shall i compare thee? Comparing the prudential value of actual and virtual friendship

It has become commonplace to hold the view that virtual surrogates for the things that are good in life are inferior to their actual, authentic counterparts, including virtual education, virtual skill-demanding activities and virtual acts of creativity. Virtual friendship has also been argued to be inferior to traditional, embodied forms of friendship. Coupled with the view that virtual friendships threaten to replace actual ones, the conclusion is often made that we ought to concentrate our efforts on actual friendships rather than settle for virtual replacements. The purpose of this paper is to offer a balanced and empirically grounded analysis of the relative prudential value of actual and virtual friendship. That is, do actual and virtual friendships differ when it comes to enhancing our subjective well-being? In doing so, I will discuss a number of presuppositions that lie behind common criticisms of virtual friendship. This will include, among other considerations, their potential for replacing actual friendship, as well as the possibility for self-disclosure, trust, sharing and dynamic spread of happiness in virtual worlds. The purpose is not to arrive at a firm, normative conclusion, but rather to introduce a number of considerations that we should take into account in our individual deliberations over which role virtual friendships ought to have in our unique life situations.

Global Freedom of Expression Within Nontextual Frameworks

The increasing use of frameworks within which Internet users can contribute nontextual information constitutes a serious obstacle to government attempts to accurately censor and monitor Internet traffic. This development, as seen in the explosive growth of frameworks such as Second Life, YouTube, and Wikipedia, could lead to a transfer of regulatory power away from heavily regulated Internet Service Providers in nondemocratic regimes, into the hands of intermediaries that are more likely to uphold freedom of expression. Thereby, a development toward increasingly enframed and nontextual information can promote freedom of expression even in traditionally nondemocratic regimes. I analyze this development with regard to its possible implications for freedom of expression, online crime, and the role of private companies in international politics.The increasing use of frameworks within which Internet users can contribute nontextual information constitutes a serious obstacle to government attempts to accurately censor and monitor Internet traffic. This development, as seen in the explosive growth of frameworks such as Second Life, YouTube, and Wikipedia, could lead to a transfer of regulatory power away from heavily regulated Internet Service Providers in nondemocratic regimes, into the hands of intermediaries that are more likely to uphold freedom of expression. Thereby, a development toward increasingly enframed and nontextual information can promote freedom of expression even in traditionally nondemocratic regimes. I analyze this development with regard to its possible implications for freedom of expression, online crime, and the role of private companies in international politics.

The role of pragmatic arguments in computer ethics

The purpose of this paper is to stress the importance of pragmatic arguments if we are to reach overlapping consensuses across cultural and disciplinary borders. An analytical distinction is made between, on the one hand, arguments based on socio-political or philosophical presuppositions, and on the other hand, pragmatic arguments. The latter are (as far as possible) detached from culture-specific or disciplinary presuppositions. I will mainly focus on the issue of regulation and surveillance on the Internet, and put forward a selection of pragmatic arguments for why widespread regulation and surveillance ought to be avoided. These arguments are intended to reach the same conclusion as arguments that are based on socio-political and philosophical presuppositions, with the aim of creating overlapping consensuses.

Well-Being in contemporary society

Chapter 1. Introduction-Well-Being in Contemporary Society Jelle de Boer, Jan-Willem van der Rijt, Johnny Hartz Soraker, Pak-Hang Wong and Philip Brey.- Chapter 2. Towards Consensus on Well-Being Timothy Taylor.- Chapter 3. Towards a Widely Acceptable Framework for the Study of Personal Well-Being Sam Wren-Lewis.- Chapter 4. Well-Being between Science and Philosophy Raffaele Rodogno.- Chapter 5. Improving the Health Care Sector with a Hapiness-Based Approach: The Case of the Happiness Route Laura Weiss, Sarah Kedzia, Aad Francissen and Gerben Westerhoff.- Chapter 6. Conflict, Commitment and Well-Being Rixar Arlegi and Miriam Teschl.- Chapter 7. Can Technology make us Happy?: Ethics, Spectators Happiness and the Value of Achievement Andreas Spahn.- Chapter 8. A Biomedical Shortcut to (Fraudulent) Happiness? An Analysis of the Notions of Well-Being and Authenticity Underlying Objections to Mood Enhancement Birgit Beck and Barbara Stroop.- Chapter 9. Increasing Societal Well-Being through Enhanced Empathy using Computer Games Judith Annett and Stefan Berglund.- Chapter 10. Well-Being, Happiness and Sustainability Bengt Brulde.- Chapter 11. The Political Pursuit of Happiness: A Popperian Perspective on Layards Happiness Policy Aloys Prinz and Bjorn Bunger.- Chapter 12. Measuring Quality of Life - and Idea Whose Times has Come? Agenda-Settings Dynamics in Britain and the European Union Ian Bache.- Chapter 13. The Political Turn towards Happiness Jan-Willem van der Rijt.