Oxford announces new degree in Computer Science and Philosophy

#1

Post by chrisaycock » Thu, Jan 27, 2011, 4:41 PM UTC

Oxford announces new degree in Computer Science and Philosophy
comlab.ox.ac.uk

Re: Oxford announces new degree in Computer Science and Philosophy

#2

Post by pauldoerwald » Thu, Jan 27, 2011, 5:00 PM UTC

I recently completed my M.Sc in Software Engineering at the University of Oxford (Soft Eng is closely affiliated with ComLab, but is a slightly separate department) and I can only speak well of the program, its lecturers, and its resources. This looks like a great program; if I were 18 again I might consider going to Oxford for this undergrad degree.

Re: Oxford announces new degree in Computer Science and Philosophy

#3

Post by boredguy8 » Thu, Jan 27, 2011, 5:07 PM UTC

How does an American get in to a program like this? Especially if, say hypothetically, they dropped out of school to work.

Re: Oxford announces new degree in Computer Science and Philosophy

#4

Post by quanticle » Thu, Jan 27, 2011, 5:08 PM UTC

How is this different from majoring in computer science and minoring in philosophy?

Re: Oxford announces new degree in Computer Science and Philosophy

#5

Post by ElliotH » Thu, Jan 27, 2011, 5:10 PM UTC

quanticle wrote: post #4

How is this different from majoring in computer science and minoring in philosophy?

UK Universities don't have 'Majors' and 'Minors' you just do your degree course.

Re: Oxford announces new degree in Computer Science and Philosophy

#6

Post by arethuza » Thu, Jan 27, 2011, 5:12 PM UTC

quanticle wrote: post #4

How is this different from majoring in computer science and minoring in philosophy?

Well, I'm from the UK and I've never really understood the "majoring" "minoring" thing (let alone GPAs).

Re: Oxford announces new degree in Computer Science and Philosophy

#7

Post by lukeschlather » Thu, Jan 27, 2011, 5:12 PM UTC

quanticle wrote: post #4

How is this different from majoring in computer science and minoring in philosophy?

A major/minor does not require you to integrate the two disciplines. Presumably at least this degree will require some synthesis.

At my alma mater we didn't have minors at all, only "concentrations" and concentrations were required to be interdisciplinary. Of course St. Olaf is a specific American school, I may be overgeneralizing to Oxford.

Re: Oxford announces new degree in Computer Science and Philosophy

#8

Post by michaelleland » Thu, Jan 27, 2011, 5:13 PM UTC

Strongly reminiscent of John Galt's (and his friends') degrees in Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand--they studied physics and philosophy together. Then then changed the world.

Re: Oxford announces new degree in Computer Science and Philosophy

#9

Post by arethuza » Thu, Jan 27, 2011, 5:14 PM UTC

pauldoerwald wrote: post #2

I recently completed my M.Sc in Software Engineering at the University of Oxford (Soft Eng is closely affiliated with ComLab, but is a slightly separate department) and I can only speak well of the program, its lecturers, and its resources. This looks like a great program; if I were 18 again I might consider going to Oxford for this undergrad degree.

I was accepted to do AI and Linguistics at Edinburgh but went off to do a "straight" CS degree elsewhere - I often wish I'd done that rather than the more mainstream degree.

Re: Oxford announces new degree in Computer Science and Philosophy

#10

Post by DanielBMarkham » Thu, Jan 27, 2011, 5:14 PM UTC

These two fields have been begging to merge for several years now. Great to see it happening.

I'd like to see extended to a post-grad program. You could choose either business coding or academic coding. Both are rich areas for combining these two disciplines. Philosophy gives CS a broader, more conceptual view of how things fit together, and CS gives philosophy something useful to do -- it provides a hard edge from which to judge whether one philosophical stance is more or less useful in a given situation.