Philosophy and Computing: An Introduction [Paperback]

Luciano Floridi (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 11, 1999 | ISBN-10: 0415180252 | ISBN-13: 978-0415180252

Philosophy and Computing explores each of the following areas of technology: the digital revolution; the computer; the Internet and the Web; CD-ROMs and Mulitmedia; databases, textbases, and hypertexts; Artificial Intelligence; the future of computing.
Luciano Floridi shows us how the relationship between philosophy and computing provokes a wide range of philosophical questions: is there a philosophy of information? What can be achieved by a classic computer? How can we define complexity? What are the limits of quantam computers? Is the Internet an intellectual space or a polluted environment? What is the paradox in the Strong Artificial Intlligence program?
Philosophy and Computing is essential reading for anyone wishing to fully understand both the development and history of information and communication technology as well as the philosophical issues it ultimately raises.

Editorial Reviews

Review

...a must read....The book is rich in detail, and the catalogue of facts enumerated along the way is well worth having at one's disposal..
–Ethics and Information Technology, 2001

An excellent introduction to the new technology that dominates our lives.
–The Philosopher's Magazine

It represents a breath of fresh air amidst the proliferation of books on individual aspects of ICT and its philosophy.
–British Journal for the Philosophy of Science

An impressive introductory text. Floridi bravely categorises artificial intelligence, and deals with cyborgs and robots.
–New Scientist

Floridi's helpful, informative and often fascinating book is a welcome arrival. Floridi writes calmly and with good sense on topics that others have hyped mercilessly

.
–B. Jack Copeland, The Turing Project, University of Canterbury

About the Author

Luciano Floridi is Research Fellow and Lecturer in Philosophy, University of Oxford. He is the consultant editor for the Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy on CD-ROM (1998) and author of Scepticism and the Foundation of Epistemology (1996).

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Routledge (September 11, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415180252
• ISBN-13: 978-0415180252
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,225,324 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

www.philosophyofinformation.net
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floridi

Luciano Floridi (Laurea, Rome University "La Sapienza", M.Phil. and Ph.D. Warwick, M.A. Oxford) is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Hertfordshire - where he holds the Research Chair in Philosophy of Information and the UNESCO Chair in Information and Computer Ethics - and Fellow of St Cross College, University of Oxford, where he directs the philosophy of information research group, IEG.

Between 2005 and 2010 he was President of the International Association for Computing and Philosophy). In 2009, he was elected Gauss Professor by the Academy of Sciences in Göttingen, awarded the Barwise Prize by the APA, and elected fellow of the AISB. In 2010, he was elected fellow of the Center for Information Policy Research, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and appointed editor in chief of Philosophy & Technology (Springer).

His most recent books are the Handbook of Information and Computer Ethics (CUP, 2010), Information: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford University Press, 2010) and The Philosophy of Information (Oxford University Press, 2011). His forthcoming book is The Fourth Revolution - The Impact of Information and Communication Technologies on Our Lives (Oxford University Press, under contract).

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Review in the New Scientist, November 3, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Philosophy and Computing: An Introduction (Paperback)

New Scientist, 9 October 1999, p. 59 "Must read... An impressive introductory text. Floridi bravely categorises artificial intelligence, and deals with cyborgs and robots". Kevin Warwick, Professor of Cybernetics, University of Reading, UK

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant, February 28, 2002

By 

brandom smith (Chicago) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Philosophy and Computing: An Introduction (Paperback)

Best book in the area I have read for some time. The AI chapter is controversial but definitely worth reading. As for the rest, I enjoyed enormously. Don't miss it.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars from The Philosophers' Magazine (9), January 18, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Philosophy and Computing: An Introduction (Paperback)

Floridi's book is a technical tour de force that seeks to explore some of the philosophical implications of ICT (Information and Communication Technology) in the context of a rigorous and detailed examination of areas of technology such as the digital revolution, databases and hypertext, the internet and artificial intelligence. The strength of the book is his grasp of the technology. Over and over again he demonstrates a remarkable technical proficiency as he discusses areas as diverse as computer architecture, database design, network protocols and many others.