CfP topical issue of Open Philosophy on "Computer Modeling in Philosophy"

Computational modeling opens new prospects for philosophical exploration and argument. The role played by logic in 20th century philosophy, it can be argued, will be played by computational modeling in the 21st. This special issue is devoted first and foremost to examples of computer-aided or computer-instantiated modeling across the discipline, including but not limited to philosophy of science, cognitive science, philosophy of mind, theory of evolution, logic, philosophy of language, epistemology, and social and political philosophy. Computational techniques range from agent-based modeling to neural networks and data mining. Results can expand the role of intuition pumps and thought experiments, can be used to measure the robustness and parameter-sensitivity of basic models, can put techniques from other disciplines to work in philosophical analysis, can track unexpected consequences of basic assumptions, and can force philosophical assumptions to be made explicit. Beyond new answers, computational techniques can highlight new questions, including questions regarding model validation, complexity, computability, representation, and reality.