Nico Formanek

Department head

Project Trust in computer intensive methods

This project inquires which forms of trust are specific to computer intensive methods in science. Is it rational to trust these methods?

Project Using Algorithms to trust

This project looks into algorithms that try to make certain parts of trust explicit. What happens if it becomes explicit?

Blog

You can find scattered thoughts mostly on the philosophy of computational methods on the workshopping blog I run with Ramón Alvarado.

Scientific interests
  • Philosophy of science/philosophy of technology
    • Intertheoretical relations in physical theories (reduction, derivation, founding, modularity etc.)
    • Computer simulatable physical theories (e.g. LatticeQCD)
    • Computational reliabilism
    • Constructing artifacts as pragmatic justification of scientific theories
    • discrete vs continuous science
  • Limits of statistical inference/learning
    • Inductive assumption in approxmative methods
    • Machine Learning & the problem of induction
    • Kolmogorov complexity as general framework for ML
    • theoretical vs. practical limits (e.g. no free lunch theorems vs. FLOPs)
  • Science and society
    • Why trust science?
    • Why trust society?
Work In Progress

Inductive assumptions in ML – often ignored, always required (Abstract)

Working for trust – when easy things become hard (Abstract)

Is epistemic opacity really a problem? (Abstract)

The theory and practice of computational error (Abstract – of a talk with the same title given at IACAP 23)

Recent publications
Recent talks

Slides available upon request.

  • The continuum limit in Lattice QCD – what it means and why we need it (Discreteness and Precision in Physics, Paris, Nov 9th, 23)

  • The epistemology of approximations in computer intensive science (POCFS, Hong Kong, Oct 11th, 23)
  • The theory and practice of computational error (IACAP 23, Prague, July 3rd, 23)
  • Inductive assumptions in ML – always required, often ignored (KHK – RWTH Aachen, June 22nd, 23)
  • Trading trust for work (Spring Workshop with C. Thi Nguyen, HLRS, April 4th, 23)
  • Fakt, Fiktion, Simulation. (Kolloquium Fiktion und Simulation, HLRS, Dec 14th, 22)
  • Philosophical aspects of latticeQCD. (MPIWG Berlin – Dec 5th, 22)
  • Why latticeQCD is philosophically interesting. (Phil Sci mini workshop – Uni Wuppertal Oct 22 ,22)
  • Trust environments in Machine Learning. (DPS talk – TU Delft October 22nd, 22)
Teaching
  • Seminar The limits of computing (Uni Stuttgart summer term 23) C@mpus
  • Seminar Computerethik (Uni Stuttgart  winter term 23) – links upcoming