School of Information and Computer Science

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Beyond Programming The Philosophy of Science
Author

• Bruce I. Blum

Presenters
Ping Chen Chris Van der Westhuizen
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Introduction

• There is a tension that exist in the software
  development process
• Identification of the requirements to the
  developing programs and models
• Similar tensions exist in the sciences
• Describe the real world with models and theories

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Introduction

• There is a tension that exist in the software
  development process
• Identification of the requirements to the
  developing programs and models
• Similar tensions exist in the sciences
• Describe the real world with models and theories

Goal Resolve this tension
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Why Philosophy of the Science?

• A kind of meta-science
• Examines the nature of science
• Help determine
• What is knowable
• What can be represented formally

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Four Areas of Philosophy

• Logic evaluation of an argument
• Metaphysics determine the fundamental types of
  things and how to describe them
• Epistemology determine what knowledge is and
  how it is gained
• Value theory how to establish norms

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Logical Positivism

• Knowledge based on experience
• Able to model natural phenomena
• Use of deduction to explain events from laws and
  initial conditions
• Unified science

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Problem of Logical Positivism

• Logical positivism laws are based on induction

Will always get fed at 9 AM
Fed at 9 AM everyday for the past few months
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Problem of Logical Positivism

• Logical positivism laws are based on induction

Will always get fed at 9 AM
Fed at 9 AM everyday for the past few months
Christmas at 9 AM
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Popper

• Need to examine current theories
• First make conjectures then try to disprove them
• Severe tests leads to greater confidence
• Failed theories lead to new theories
• Progress comes from bold conjectures that are not
  refuted

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Campbell

• Evolutionary epistemology
• 10 process levels
• From non-mnemonic problem solving to science
• Science
• Knowledge is testable
• Have a selective system to weed out conjectures
• Designed as objective as possible

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Campbell (cont.)

• Criticizes Poppers view of the natural selection
  of theories
• Proposes blind-variation-and-selective-retention
  process
• Mechanisms for introducing variation
• Consistent selection process
• Mechanisms for preserving and/or propagating the
  selected variation

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Quine

• Both Popper and Campbell recognizes that
  observations are not objective
• Cannot use our experiences to either confirm or
  falsify hypotheses
• Two completely different theories may still be
  empirically equivalent

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Empiricist Account of Science

• Emerged by the late 1930s
• Based on 3 assumptions
• Naïve realism
• Universal scientific language
• Correspondence of truth

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Relation to Software Development

• Logical positivists methods for knowing what is
  true and how to build on that knowledge
• Popper only know what is wrong
• Campbell progress be evolutionary
• Quine unable to have objective observations
• Specification are underdetermined

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Kuhn Science in a Historical Context

• Kuhn detected five distinct stages in the growth
  and evolution of a scientific discipline
• Immature science
• Normal science
• Stages of crisis
• Revolution
• Resolution

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Stages of Evolution
3. Stage Of crisis
1. Immature Science
2. Normal Science
4. Revolution
5. Resolution
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Normal Science

• Operates within a paradigm that establishes a
  framework for practice of scientific discipline
• Normal-scientific research is aimed at the
  articulation of phenomena and theories that the
  paradigm already supplies

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Paradigm Shift

• A discovery like x-rays necessitates a paradigm
  change for a segment of the community
• Identification of anomalies
• Emergence of new discoveries
• Transition from a paradigm in crisis involves a
  reconstruction of the field from new fundamentals

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Paradigm Shift
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Paradigm Shift
Paradigms do not coexist but rather move from one
to another
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Scientific advancement?

• Does the acceptance of improving scientific
  efficiency imply that science constantly
  approaches some goal?
• Kuhn thinks not
• The paradigm shifting process occurs as
  biological evolution does, without benefit of a
  set goal

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Lakatos

• Differed from Kuhn
• Believed science is seldom dominated by a single
  paradigm
• Believed that new theories replaced old theories
  while retaining some important features
• Introduced idea of research programme

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Lakatos Research Programme
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Lakatos Research Programme

• Examples
• Copernican programme requires acceptance that
  planets revolve around the sun
• By rejecting this, Tycho Brahe opted out of the
  programme

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The Structure of Science

• Abrahamsen provides a specialization hierarchy
  for the scientific disciplines
• Four-level hierarchy

Cultural Product Domains
Behavioral Sciences
Biological Sciences
Physical Sciences
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The Structure of Science

• Campbell introduces a fish-scale model of
  omniscience
• Knowledge is organized in an overlapping
  structure (ideal)

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The Structure of Science

• Campbell also pointed out the current structure
  in disciplines
• Interdisciplinary gaps (not ideal)

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Relation to Tension of Software Process

• Formal specifications have no validity without
  the theories that provide their context
• Science world view comes from interpretation of
  reality
• Software world view comes from interpretation of
  a need

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Looking Ahead

• The rigor and critical attitude of science are
  necessary for software development
• but they are not sufficient
• Our criterion for success will be how well this
  science serves us

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Discussion Questions

• How does understanding the tension that exists in
  physical sciences help us as computer scientists?
• What is the received view? (fig. 2.1). How does
  it fit in?
• What is difference between evolutionary models
  proposed by Campbell and Popper?
• Can criticism be objective? (according to Popper
  it is)

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Discussion Questions

• Can science be unified in one theoretical
  framework? (positivist theory)
• What are some software paradigms that exist? Have
  existed?
• What philosophical perspective do you agree with?
• Khuns single paradigm
• Lakatos research programme