Computer Science and Philosophy
专业详情
If you enjoy mathematical problem-solving, would like to learn about computing and artificial intelligence, but also have wider interests in life and the universe then this degree might be for you!
Computer systems now impact hugely on almost every aspect of our lives: social, commercial, educational, even political. Throughout academia and industry, they provide the media of communication and data processing, and increasingly – through artificial intelligence – solve problems that go beyond our human intellectual capabilities. All this raises huge philosophical issues, both ethical (e.g. data privacy, algorithmic risk assessment, robot behaviour, legal regulation and responsibility) and social (e.g. impact on employment, healthcare, public discourse and democracy). Navigation through this minefield of problems requires a new generation of thinkers who both understand computing technology, and are able to think critically about its consequences.
Artificial intelligence also raises a host of more theoretical issues, such as the nature of reason, its relation to logic, how far rationality can be mechanised, and whether such qualities as autonomy, free will and mental activity can be shared by inanimate systems. These are all deep questions going back to antiquity, but in our world they have become more than theoretical, as powerful automated reasoning – a dream of philosophers from Aristotle to Hobbes, Leibniz, Boole and Turing – has now at last become a reality. Future philosophers, to engage effectively with such issues, need to take account of – and ideally harness for themselves – the power of artificial intelligence.
Computer science is about understanding computer systems at a deep level. Computers and the programs they run are among the most complex products ever created. Designing and using them effectively presents immense challenges. Facing these challenges is the aim of computer science as a practical discipline.
The study of philosophy develops analytical, critical and logical rigour, applied within a wide range of extremely valuable skills: analysing and organising diverse information, understanding different points of view, arguing a case, imagining novel possibilities and thinking through their consequences. It stretches the mind by considering a wide range of ideas on questions as fundamental as the limits of knowledge, the nature of reality and our place in it, and the basis of morality.
Both subjects are intellectually exciting and creative, and they have many mutual connections. The degree combines analytical and technical knowledge with discursive, writing and research skills, offering the chance to study with top academics from two internationally acclaimed departments
Computer Science and Philosophy can be studied for three years (BA) or four years (Master of Computer Science and Philosophy). Students do not need to choose between the three-year and four-year options when applying. Instead, all students apply for the four-year course, and then decide at the start of the third year whether they wish to continue to the fourth year (which is subject to achieving a 2:1 at the end of the third year).
