The Digital Turn in Epistemology

In this multi-disciplinary project, philosophers will join mathematics education researchers to study how the nature of mathematical knowledge changes through the use of digital tools, and what consequences this has for the epistemology of mathematics. The researchers will approach the junction of mathematics, math education and digital tools from a variety of perspectives. The project is part of Utrecht University’s efforts to encourage education innovation and to improve the quality of education.

  • Project members: Prof. F.A. Muller, Dr Arthur Bakker, Dr Jan Broersen
  • Partners: Faculty of Philosophy at Erasmus University Rotterdam, Noordhoff Publishers
  • Duration: 2016-2021
  • Funding: NWO Creative Industry
Responsible Intelligent Systems

As intelligent systems are increasingly integrated into our daily life, the division, assignment and checking of responsibilities between human and artificial agents become increasingly important. From robots in medicine, the military, to automated protection systems; we delegate more and more responsibility to intelligent devices. By delegating responsibilities to intelligent devices, we run the risk of losing track of our indirect legal and moral liabilities. The REINS project aims to address this problem by providing formal and computational frameworks that form the basis for computational systems that enable us to mitigate these risks.

The Power of Constructive Proofs

Reasoning can take many forms and arguments vary in force. Constructive arguments are powerful because they are based on a calculation; this means they are important for mathematics and computer science and play a role in the philosophy of mathematics and logic. This project aims to gain a better understanding of the structure of powerful proofs in order to clarify which constructive proofs allow a certain theory and which do not.