Computer Science 50
Morality, Information, Logic, Knowledge
| Course Description: |
Satisfies general education requirement: Philosophical Reflections on Truth and Value (I.B.1). Introduction to the Christian liberal arts through philosophy and the social and ethical impacts of information and computation. Introduction to the discipline of philosophy from a computational perspective. Topics include: ethics, information and communication theory, epistemology, logic, and metaphysics. Philosophical exploration of the nature of information and computation, the relationship between information and knowledge, social impacts of technology, and faithful stewardship with respect to information and computation. Particular view to sound policy decisions regarding a specific information technology concern; topics vary by semester but examples include: copyright and ownership of information, privacy, professional ethics, and gender and ethnicity concerns in computing fields. Prerequisites: No background in computer science or philosophy is required. (Offered fall semester.) |
| Professor: |
Kim P. Kihlstrom kimkihls@westmont.edu http://homepage.westmont.edu/kimkihls/ Office: Math and Computer Science Building Phone: 805-565-6864 |
Fall 2010 Textbooks: |
Glymour, Thinking Things Through: An Introduction to Philosophical Issues and Achievements. MIT Press, 1997, ISBN 9780262571197 Johnson, Computer Ethics, Pearson, 4th ed., 2009, ISBN 9780131112414 Margolis, Unlocking the Clubhouse, MIT Press, 2003, ISBN 9780262632690 Additional course materials available on Eureka |