Shifting the paradigm of the philosophy of science: The philosophy of information and a new renaissance

Abstract. Computing is changing the traditional field of Philosophy of Science in a very profound way. First as a methodological tool, computing makes possible “experimental Philosophy ” which is able to provide practical tests for different philosophical ideas. At the same time the ideal object of investigation of the Philosophy of Science is changing. For a long period of time the ideal science was Physics (e.g., Popper, Carnap, Kuhn, and Chalmers). Now the focus is shifting to the field of Computing/Informatics. There are many good reasons for this paradigm shift, one of those being a long standing need of a new meeting between the sciences and humanities, for which the new discipline of Computing/Informatics gives innumerable possibilities. Contrary to Physics, Comput-ing/Informatics is very much human-centered. It brings a potential for a new Renaissance, wher