Computer Turn in the Philosophy of the XXI Century (Reflection on the Book “Calculated Surprises.A Philosophy of Computer Simulation” by Johannes Lenhard)

Abstract

In 2019, a new book by Lenhard was published. Lenhard attempts to separate computer simulations from classical mathematical modeling. Structuring in three parts the accumulated over the years research material, Lenhard correctly, with­out undertaking the construction of revolutionary metaphysical concepts, ac­quaints the reader with the new world of the philosophy of computer simula­tions. In the first part, the author reveals the thesis that computer simulations are a completely new, previously unknown, type of mathematical modeling. The second part focuses on the conceptual epistemic transformations of mathe­matical modeling from the perspective of the phenomenon of computer simula­tions. This part also deals with the verification methods that are used in scientific experiments: verification and validation. In the third part, Lenhard, questioning the purely scientific rational way of knowing, tries to grope for the contours of new methods, the specificity of which is due to the use of computer simulations in scientific research practice. In this review, I will analyze the main problems that Lenhard identifies in his book as the most important for understanding the philosophical essence of computer simulations.