Software intensive science

John Symons

Jack K. Horner

pp. 461-477

in: Liesbeth De Mol, Giuseppe Primiero (eds), Trends in the history and philosophy of computing, Philosophy & Technology 27 (3), 2014.

Abstract

This paper argues that the difference between contemporary software intensive scientific practice and more traditional non-software intensive varieties results from the characteristically high conditionality of software. We explain why the path complexity of programs with high conditionality imposes limits on standard error correction techniques and why this matters. While it is possible, in general, to characterize the error distribution in inquiry that does not involve high conditionality, we cannot characterize the error distribution in inquiry that depends on software. Software intensive science presents distinctive error and uncertainty modalities that pose new challenges for the epistemology of science.