Call for Nominations: The Herbert A. Simon Award

The Herbert A. Simon Award for Outstanding Research in Computing and Philosophy recognizes scholars at an early stage of their academic career who are likely to reshape debates at the nexus of Computing and Philosophy by their original research.

Nominations for the Herbert A. Simon Award may be proposed either by academic institutions or by colleagues with some expertise in computing and philosophy.

To nominate, please send names and website URLs (or CVs) to berkich@gmail.com by 15 January 2014.

For more information, please see http://www.iacap.org/awards/

IACAP 2013 Election results

The following are the results of our recent elections.

  • President elect: Mariarosaria Taddeo
  • Director elect, Society for Machines and Mentality: Paul Bello
  • Member at Large elect: Johnny Søraker
  • Treasurer (acclaimed): Mark Waser
  • Membership and Promotions Coordinator (acclaimed): Derek Jones
  • Technical Director (appointed): Don Berkich

Congratulations to everyone.

The positions take effect on September 16, 2013.

The democratic functioning of our organization depends on people taking an interest and participating. We thank everyone who participated in the election process.

IACAP 2013 Election

Paying members of IACAP  will shortly receive ballots for voting in the 2013 IACAP election. The nominees are as follows. The link to the e-ballots will contain a unique identifier and sent to paying members by email.

President:

Vincent C. Müller:

http://www.sophia.de

Vincent C. Müller’s research focuses on the nature and future of computational systems, particularly on the prospects of artificial intelligence. He is the coordinator of the European Network for Cognitive Systems, Robotics and Interaction (2009-2014) with over 800 members, funded by the European Union through two FP7 projects with 3.9 mil. € (www.eucognition.org). In this role, he also organises two large conferences each year. Separately, he organizes a series of conferences on the ‘Theory and Philosophy of AI’ (www.pt-ai.org). The 2013 event had over 100 paper submissions and will feature prominent speakers (Daniel Dennett, Stuart Russell, etc.).

Müller has published a number of articles on the philosophy of computing, the philosophy of AI and cognitive science, the philosophy of language, and related areas. He has edited several volumes on the theory of cognitive systems and artificial intelligence (more are forthcoming) and is preparing a monograph on the fundamental problems of AI and. He studied philosophy with cognitive science, linguistics and history at the universities of Marburg, Hamburg, London and Oxford. Müller will host the 2014 IACAP conference in Thessaloniki, July 2-4.

Mariarosaria Taddeo:
http://taddeo.philosophyofinformation.net

I am Research Fellow in Cyber Security and Ethics at the Department of Politics and International Studies, University of Warwick and Research Associate at the Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics, University of Oxford. From 2010 to 2012, I was Marie Curie Fellow at the University of Hertfordshire, where I worked on the analysis of the ethical implications of cyber warfare. In 2009, I obtained a European PhD from the University of Padua and the University of Oxford, with a thesis entitled “The Ethics and Epistemology of Trust in Artificial Distributed Systems”.

I have been a member of IACAP since 2006, serving as membership and promotions coordinator from 2010 to 2013, as of last March I also serve as pro tempore treasurer. Over the past years, IACAP showed to be a solid association with a growing number of members. If I will be elected president, I will work to consolidate the results achieved so far by the executive board. I will also work to foster collaborations between senior and junior members of the association and to ensure a competitive and high-quality level of the annual meetings. I will pursue and promote opportunities for the circulation and publication of the research developed by IACAP members, such as special issues, conference proceedings and edited volumes. At the same time, I will seek collaborations with other leading associations in the fields of philosophy of computing, philosophy of AI and information and computer ethics, so to attract the interest of a greater number of scholars.

Director, Society for Machines and Mentality

Paul Bello
http://www.pbello.com

My interests lie at the interface of philosophy of mind, computation, and social cognition. I’m particularly fascinated by the human capacity to detach from the real world in order to consider the past, possible futures, pretenses, hypotheticals, counterfactual alternatives, and the contents of other minds. Most of my research is focused on building computational accounts of mental-state ascription that are consistent with developmental, behavioral, and neuropsychological data. I also spend considerable time applying these models to related topics in higher-level cognition; most especially to cognitive models of human moral judgment.

I received my bachelors of science in Computer and Systems Engineering with a dual major in Philosophy from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1999. I stayed on at RPI and completed my M.S. in Computer Science in 2001, and received the Ph.D. in Cognitive Science in 2005 under the supervision of Selmer Bringsjord. In the fall of 2002, I was hired as a research computer scientist at the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Information Directorate in Rome, NY. While at Rome, I worked on projects involving nonmonotonic reasoning about obligations, and My interests lie at the interface of philosophy of mind, computation, and social cognition. I’m particularly fascinated by the human capacity to detach from the real world in order to consider the past, possible futures, pretenses, hypotheticals, counterfactual alternatives, and the contents of other minds. Most of my research is focused on building computational accounts of mental-state ascription that are consistent with developmental, behavioral, and neuropsychological data. I also spend considerable time applying these models to related topics in higher-level cognition; most especially to cognitive models of human moral judgment.

Vincent C. Müller
http://www.sophia.de

Vincent C. Müller’s research focuses on the nature and future of computational systems, particularly on the prospects of artificial intelligence. He is the coordinator of the European Network for Cognitive Systems, Robotics and Interaction (2009-2014) with over 800 members, funded by the European Union through two FP7 projects with 3.9 mil. € (www.eucognition.org). In this role, he also organises two large conferences each year. Separately, he organizes a series of conferences on the ‘Theory and Philosophy of AI’ (www.pt-ai.org). The 2013 event had over 100 paper submissions and will feature prominent speakers (Daniel Dennett, Stuart Russell, etc.).

Müller has published a number of articles on the philosophy of computing, the philosophy of AI and cognitive science, the philosophy of language, and related areas. He has edited several volumes on the theory of cognitive systems and artificial intelligence (more are forthcoming) and is preparing a monograph on the fundamental problems of AI and. He studied philosophy with cognitive science, linguistics and history at the universities of Marburg, Hamburg, London and Oxford. Müller will host the 2014 IACAP conference in Thessaloniki, July 2-4.

Member at Large:

Paul Bello
http://www.pbello.com

My interests lie at the interface of philosophy of mind, computation, and social cognition. I’m particularly fascinated by the human capacity to detach from the real world in order to consider the past, possible futures, pretenses, hypotheticals, counterfactual alternatives, and the contents of other minds. Most of my research is focused on building computational accounts of mental-state ascription that are consistent with developmental, behavioral, and neuropsychological data. I also spend considerable time applying these models to related topics in higher-level cognition; most especially to cognitive models of human moral judgment.

I received my bachelors of science in Computer and Systems Engineering with a dual major in Philosophy from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1999. I stayed on at RPI and completed my M.S. in Computer Science in 2001, and received the Ph.D. in Cognitive Science in 2005 under the supervision of Selmer Bringsjord. In the fall of 2002, I was hired as a research computer scientist at the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Information Directorate in Rome, NY. While at Rome, I worked on projects involving nonmonotonic reasoning about obligations, and My interests lie at the interface of philosophy of mind, computation, and social cognition. I’m particularly fascinated by the human capacity to detach from the real world in order to consider the past, possible futures, pretenses, hypotheticals, counterfactual alternatives, and the contents of other minds. Most of my research is focused on building computational accounts of mental-state ascription that are consistent with developmental, behavioral, and neuropsychological data. I also spend considerable time applying these models to related topics in higher-level cognition; most especially to cognitive models of human moral judgment.

Vincent C. Müller
http://www.sophia.de

Vincent C. Müller’s research focuses on the nature and future of computational systems, particularly on the prospects of artificial intelligence. He is the coordinator of the European Network for Cognitive Systems, Robotics and Interaction (2009-2014) with over 800 members, funded by the European Union through two FP7 projects with 3.9 mil. € (www.eucognition.org). In this role, he also organises two large conferences each year. Separately, he organizes a series of conferences on the ‘Theory and Philosophy of AI’ (www.pt-ai.org). The 2013 event had over 100 paper submissions and will feature prominent speakers (Daniel Dennett, Stuart Russell, etc.).

Müller has published a number of articles on the philosophy of computing, the philosophy of AI and cognitive science, the philosophy of language, and related areas. He has edited several volumes on the theory of cognitive systems and artificial intelligence (more are forthcoming) and is preparing a monograph on the fundamental problems of AI and. He studied philosophy with cognitive science, linguistics and history at the universities of Marburg, Hamburg, London and Oxford. Müller will host the 2014 IACAP conference in Thessaloniki, July 2-4.

Johnny Hartz Søraker
http://soraker.com

Dr. Johnny Hartz Søraker is Assistant Professor of Philosophy of technology at the Department of Philosophy, University of Twente, where he also did his PhD  on the epistemology, ontology and ethics of virtual worlds. The dissertation also focusses on the potential impact of technology on personal well-being, a topic that has since become his main research interest. Although inspired by all kinds of philosophy, the main research interests lie in the intersections between Information Technology, on the one hand, and both theoretical and practical philosophy, on the other. Søraker often grounds his work in psychological research, especially work in the field of Positive Psychology, and he is working on developing this toward a comprehensive methodology (tentatively entitled ‘Prudential-Empirical Ethics of Technology (PEET)’).

Søraker has published and lectured extensively on issues such as the ethical, societal and psychological effects of technology (especially related to the notion of well-being), Internet governance, history of philosophy and psychology,  professional ethics in  several disciplines, and the moral status of information. He is also the host and producer of SuchThatCast – Philosophers’ Podcast, a series of audio interviews dedicated to getting to know some of the most influential philosophers (broadly speaking) of today (including several central philosophers of technology). Søraker has previously served as IACAP’s technical manager, and organized the European CAP conferences in 2006 and 2007.

Treasurer:

Mark Waser (no other nominees — acclaimed).

Membership and Promotions Co-ordinator:

Derek Jones  (no other nominees — acclaimed)

Technical Director:

Don Berkich (appointed)

Winners of Herbert Simon award and Covey award announced

We are pleased to announce that this year’s recipient of the Covey award is Margaret Boden (previous winners: Luciano Floridi, Terrell Bynum, John R. Searle, Edward N. Zalta). Furthermore, the Herbert A. Simon award is being awarded to Judith Simon (previous winners: Patrick Allo, John Sullins, Mariarosaria Taddeo) and the Goldberg award has been awarded to Nir Fresco (previous winners: Ryan Tonkens, Cameron Buckner, Derek Jones,Matteo Turilli,Chih-Chun Chen and Rory Smead).

IACAP president wins 2012 World Technology Award in Ethics

Anthony Beavers, IACAP president and professor of philosophy and director of cognitive science at the University of Evansville, was presented with the 2012 World Technology Award in Ethics this past Tuesday night at a special ceremony held at Rockefeller Plaza in New York City.

 

He was recognized for his work in moral theory, which attempts to show how and why existing ethical frameworks are insufficiently suited to the information age and why ethicists need to develop other alternatives.

 

The World Technology Awards are presented in association with TIME, Fortune, CNN, Technology Review, and Science and go to the “peer-nominated, peer-elected most innovative people in science and technology” defined as those doing “the innovative work of the likely longest significance.”
Thirty awards are offered each year, twenty to individuals and ten to corporations. Winners this year included SpaceX, the first private company to get a rocket to the space station and back, Ekso Bionics for successfully developing technology to allow paraplegics to walk on their own through the use of a robotic exoskeleton, and NASA Engineer Adam Steltzner of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena for his role in successfully landing the rover Curiosity on Mars this past August. Among the more recognizable past recipients of World Technology Awards are Al Gore (for Policy), Linus Torvalds, developer of the Linux operating system (for Commerce / Communication Technology), Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World-Wide Web (for Communication Technology), Larry Page and Sergey Brin, founders of Google (for Marketing Communications), and Mark Zuckerberg, lead developer and co-founder of Facebook (also for Marketing Communications).

The 2012 IACAP Covey Award Winner: Luciano Floridi

The International Association for Computing and Philosophy is pleased to announce that Luciano Floridi (Hertfordshire and Oxford) is the 4th recipient of its Covey Award for Outstanding Research in Computing and Philosophy. This award is reserved for a senior scholar who has made significant research contributions to the field. Past recipients include Ed Zalta (Stanford), John Searle (Berkeley), and Terry Bynum (Southern Connecticut).

Dr. Floridi holds the UNESCO Chair in Information and Computing Ethics at Hertfordshire. He has recently published two books on the philosophy of information with Oxford and is about to release a third on information ethics. In 2009, he became the first philosopher to be elected Gauss Professor by the Göttingen Academy of Sciences. The same year, he was awarded the Barwise Prize by the American Philosophical Association in recognition of his research on the philosophy of information, and was elected Fellow of the Society for the Study of Artificial Intelligence and the Simulation of Behaviour. In 2010, he was appointed Editor-in-Chief of Springer’s new journal Philosophy & Technology and elected Fellow of the Center for Information Policy Research, University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee. In 2011, he awarded a laurea honoris causa by the University of Suceava, Romania, for his research on the philosophy of information. In 2012, he was appointed appointed Chairman of the expert group, organised by the DG INFSO of the European Commission, on the impact of information and communication technologies on the digital transformations occurring in the European society.

We are grateful to Dr. Floridi for the pioneering work he has done to advance a research agenda that is both timely and relevant to a quickly changing world. He will be recognized for his work at the 2012 AISB/IACAP World Congress to be held in honor of Alan Turing at the University of Birmingham this July.

Election results

The results of the election are in: Marcello Guarini has been confirmed as our new Executive Director, and John Sullins as our new Treasurer. Matthias Scheutz has also been confirmed as our three-year member at-large. In the two elections with more than one candidate, Cameron Buckner was selected over Paul Bello by just two votes for the one-year member at large position, and Steve McKinlay was selected over Derek Jones by just one vote for the two-year member at large graduate student position. Many thanks to all candidates for their willingness to serve and to the members of the association who participated in the election.

New officers officially take office on January 15th 2012.

Next year’s cabinet (along with the date for the end of their term):

President
Anthony Beavers (2014)

Former President
Luciano Floridi (2014)

Executive Director
Marcello Guarini (2015)

Treasurer
John Sullins (2015)

Conference Coordinator
Philip Brey (2013)

Membership and Promotions Coordinator
Mariarosaria Taddeo (2014)

Technical Manager
Johnny Hartz Søraker (2013)

Newsletter Editor
Michael Byron (2013)

Sig Director for Minds and Machines
Marcello Guarini (2014)

Members at Large
Matthias Scheutz (2015)
Steve McKinlay (2014) – Graduate Student Position
Cameron Buckner (2013)