7-10 November 2011, International Conference "History and Philosophy of Computing", Ghent, Belgium

The computing sciences collect the most diverse complex of experts: philosophers, logicians, historians, mathematicians, computer scientists, programmers, engineers. The number of involved subjects grows accordingly: from foundational issues to their applications; from philosophical questions to problems of realizability and design of specifications; from theoretical studies of computational barriers to the relevance of machines for educational purposes.

A historical awareness of the evolution of computing not only helps to clarify the complex structure of the computing sciences, but it also provides an insight in what computing was, is and maybe could be in the future. Philosophy, on the other hand, helps to tackle some of the fundamental problems of computing, going from the limits of the 'mathematicizing power of homo sapiens' to the design of feasible and concrete models of interactive processes. The aim of this conference is to bring together these two streams: we are strongly convinced that an interplay between the researchers with an interest in the history and philosophy of computing can crucially add to the maturity of the field.

For more information, see http://www.computing-conference.ugent.be or contact computing.conference at ugent.be.