Call for contributions
Deadline: 15 August 2024
We are delighted to announce the 6th Workshop on the History and Philosophy of Programming (HaPoP-6). We invite contributions on the history and philosophy of programming broadly understood, including different conceptual and practical aspects of programming, the relation of programming practices to other social and scientific practices, the aesthetics of programming, the development of programming languages and others.
In addition to general aspects of programming, this year’s workshop will focus on conceptions of ‘fairness’ and ‘bias’ in the history and philosophy of programming. Practices of coding and the evaluation of computer programs have changed with the rise of machine learning and so-called ‘artificial intelligence’ (AI). The increasing automation of programming has led to questions about programming practices, transparency, and evaluative standards in programming in general. In particular, there has been an increasing concern with ‘fairness’ and ‘bias’ within a wide range of programs and applications, affecting practitioners, decision-makers and users. In parallel, these questions have (re-)emerged in philosophy, computational linguistics, media theory, sociology, political theory and related fields.
At the 6th HaPoP workshop, we want to develop a deeper understanding of strengths and limitations of conceptions of ‘fairness’ and ‘bias,’ within a reflection on programming at large. We hope to develop these concepts from a historical, philosophical, and technical perspective, bringing into view the epistemological standpoints and material histories involved. This call is anchored in the conviction that a new kind of foundational research is needed to come to terms with the social implications of and in programming, which cannot be addressed by any single discipline. We strive for accessible presentations as the workshop will be open to people from a variety of disciplines and backgrounds.
We invite abstracts on the history and philosophy of programming, including, but not restricted to the following topics:
- Histories and Philosophy of Programming
- Conceptions of fairness and bias in programming
- Error, correctness, evaluation, and accountability in programming practices
- Programming at the crossroads of formal, empirical, and social sciences
- Labour conditions in and around programming
- Programming and the law
- Histories of feminist or emancipatory practices of programming
- Histories of critical code studies
- Teaching Programming
We particularly invite graduate students and early career researchers from underrepresented communities and disadvantaged backgrounds. Travel funding will be available for graduate students and researchers without permanent employment. Requests for travel funding of up to 250 EUR should be directed to treasurer@hapoc.org. Final decisions on the allocation of travel funds will be made by September 25.
Abstracts of a maximum of 500 words (including sources) should be sent to cambridge-2024@hapoc.org by August 15. Final decisions will be announced by September 15.
Download the full call for contributions to HaPoP-6
Organisers
Amira Moeding (PhD Student in History, University of Cambridge), Nanna Saeten (PhD Student in POLIS, University of Cambridge), Dr Richard Staley (History and Philosophy of Science, University of Cambridge)
Access
If you have specific accessibility needs for this event please get in touch with the organisers.