What is a Computer? A Survey

A critical survey of some attempts to define ‘computer’, beginning with some informal ones (from reference books, and definitions due to H. Simon, A.L. Samuel, and M. Davis), then critically evaluating those of three philosophers (J.R. Searle, P.J. Hayes, and G. Piccinini), and concluding with an examination of whether the brain and the universe are computers.     

A Philosophical Approach to the Concept of Data Model: Is a Data Model, in Fact, a Model?

The design of the database is crucial to the process of designing almost any Information System (IS) and involves two clearly identifiable key concepts: schema and data model, the latter allowing us to define the former. Nevertheless, the term model is commonly applied indistinctly to both, the confusion arising from the fact that in Software Engineering (SE), unlike in formal or empirical sciences, the notion of model has a double meaning of which we are not always aware. If we take our idea of model directly from empirical sciences, then the schema of a database would actually be a model, whereas the data model would be a set of tools allowing us to define such a schema.The present paper discusses the meaning of model in the area of Software Engineering from a philosophical point of view, an important topic for the confusion arising directly affects other debates where model is a key concept. We would also suggest that the need for a philosophical discussion on the concept of data model is a further argument in favour of institutionalizing a new area of knowledge, which could be called: Philosophy of Engineering.     

A Computational Conundrum: “What is a Computer?” A Historical Overview

This introduction begins by posing the question that this Special Issue addresses and briefly considers historical precedents and why the issue is important. The discussion then moves on to the consideration of important milestones in the history of computing, up until the present time. A brief specification of the essential components of computational systems is then offered. The final section introduces the papers that are included in this volume.     

A Resolution-based Model Building Algorithm for a Fragment of =: (Extended Abstract)

1 [11] is a decidable subclass of first-order clausal logic without equality. [7] shows that 1 becomes undecidable when equational literals are allowed, but remains decidable if equality is restricted to ground terms only.First, we extend this decidability result to some non ground equational literals. By carefully restricting the use of the equality predicate we obtain a new decidable class, called 1 ₌^*. We show that existing paramodulation calculi do not terminate on 1 ₌^* and we define a new simplification rule which allows to ensure termination. Second, we show that the automatic extraction of Herbrand models is possible from saturated sets in 1 ₌^* not containing □. These models are represented by certain finite sets of (possibly equational and non ground) linear atoms. The difficult point here is to show that this formalism is suitable as a model representation mechanism, i.e. that the evaluation of arbitrary non equational first-order formulae in such interpretations is a decidable problem.