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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Author
is Opening Speaker at Computers and Philosophy Conference
Horn to Speak on Role of Argumentation
Maps in the Future of Philosophy
Seattle--January 1, 2001-The Computers and Philosophy conference sponsored by the American Philosophy Association, to be held February 18-20 at Oregon State University, Corvalis, Oregon, has selected Robert E. Horn, project director of the innovative Mapping Great Debates series, as its opening speaker. Horn will talk on "Implications for Philosophy of Argumentation Mapping and Visual Language."
The basic idea of the argumentation maps is to provide an easy-to-navigate diagramatic format for tracing the intellectual history and current status of the debates. It is intended for students, researchers, and scholars from all of these disciplines to be able to keep up with the rapidly evolving field. The focus of the debates shows how new concepts, methods, and viewpoints can arise from careful critique of colleagues ideas. "Nobody can keep up with so many different fields," Horn explained. "That is why we have developed this form of portraying important debates." Horn is a visiting scholar at Stanford University's Program on People, Computers, and Design at The Center for the Study of Language and Information.
The first product of the project is Mapping Great Debates:
Can Computers Think?, a set of seven large, colorful diagrams,
measuring 3 x 4 feet each and with text and graphics showing both
the topical and chronological organization of the debate. Horn's
maps display arguments beginning with Alan Turing's 1950 claim
that computers would be capable of thinking and move through over
800 individual claims, rebuttals, and counterrebuttals. Each map
plots an average of 100 major claims, representing the nearly
400 cognitive scientists, philosophers, AI researchers, and mathematicians,
who have weighed into the argument in a significant way. One of
the maps, number 6, served as the jumping off point for the current
project on consciousness. That map summarized the importance of
consciousness in the "Can Computers Think?" debates.
Visually, the maps are groundbreaking. Several hundred icons and
illustrations and about 60 photographs help the reader navigate,
providing easy landmarks and crystal-clear visual representation
of the arguments. A small handbook contains a complete bibliography,
an author index, an introduction to the new mapmaking methodology,
an in-depth exploration of the cartographic metaphor, a discussion
of eleven major criteria for argument selection, and frequently
asked questions.
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