Radical Empiricism, Empirical Modelling and the nature of knowing

Meurig Beynon | University of Warwick

This paper explores connections between Radical Empiricism (RE), a philosophic attitude developed by William James at the beginning of the 20th century, and Empirical Modelling (EM), an approach to computer-based modelling that has been developed by the author and his collaborators over a number of years. It focuses in particular on how both RE and EM promote a perspective on the nature of knowing that is radically different from that typically invoked in contemporary approaches to knowledge representation in computing. This is illustrated in detail with reference to the modelling of several scenarios of lift use. Some potential implications for knowledge management are briefly reviewed.

Keywords: knowledge representation, bricolage, Empirical Modelling, dependency, pure experience, Radical Empiricism

Published online: 20 December 2005
https://doi.org/10.1075/pc.13.3.11bey

Cited by

Cited by 6 other publications

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2009. Constructivist Computer Science Education Reconstructed. Innovation in Teaching and Learning in Information and Computer Sciences 8:2 ► pp. 73 ff.

Beynon, Meurig

2012. In Ways of Thinking, Ways of Seeing [Automation, Collaboration, & E-Services, 1], ► pp. 197 ff.

Beynon, Meurig & Steve Russ

2008. Experimenting with computing. Journal of Applied Logic 6:4 ► pp. 476 ff.

Beynon, W.M., R.C. Boyatt & S.B. Russ

2006. In Third International Conference on Information Technology: New Generations (ITNG'06), ► pp. 149 ff.

Boyatt, R., A. Harfield & M. Beynon

2006. In Sixth IEEE International Conference on Advanced Learning Technologies (ICALT'06), ► pp. 662 ff.

Toivonen, Tapani, Ilkka Jormanainen & Markku Tukiainen

2018. In Robotics in Education [Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing, 630], ► pp. 317 ff.

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