Philosophy of Computer Science: Online Resources

Position Paper #4:

What Is a Computer Program?

Assignment

The Argument

1. A special-purpose computer (that is, a computer that does just one task) is essentially a hardwired computer program.

2. Such a hardwired computer program is a physical machine.

3. Physical machines can be patented.

4. Therefore, such a hardwired computer program can be patented.

5. The printed text of a computer program is a "literary work" (that is, a piece of writing) in the sense of the copyright law.

6. Literary works can be copyrighted.

7. Therefore, such a computer program can be copyrighted.

8. Nothing can be both patented and copyrighted.
   • Note: This premise is a matter of law. You must accept it as true. But you can argue that the law should be changed.

9. There is no computational or other relevant difference between the hardwired computer program and its textual counterpart (except for the different media in which they are implemented, one being hardwired and the other being written on, say, a piece of paper).

10. Therefore, computer programs can be both patented and copyrighted.

To help you evaluate this argument, you should look at the legal definitions of 'copyright' and 'patent' as given at Position Paper 4: Copyright and Patent.

Argument Analysis

• Only single statements (like premises and conclusions) can be true or false. For our purposes, it's enough to say that a statement is true (or false) if you agree (or disagree) with it, because I'm not asking you to convince me that a statement really is true (or false); I'm only asking you to convince me that you have a good reason for agreeing (or disagreeing) with it.

• And only arguments can be valid or invalid. An argument is valid if it's impossible for all of its premises to be true while its conclusion is false (and it's invalid otherwise). For our purposes, to determine whether an argument is valid, you must suppose (or make believe) "for the sake of the argument" that all the premises are true (that is, that you agree with all of them), and then consider whether you would have to logically agree with the conclusion. To determine whether an argument is invalid, try to imagine some way the world might be so that the premises are true but the conclusion is false.

• Finally, only arguments can be sound or unsound. An argument is sound if it's valid and all of its premises are true (in which case, its conclusion will also have to be true). For our purposes, we'll say that an argument is sound if it's valid and you really do agree with all of its premises (in which case, you really have to agree with the conclusion).

• You are logically obligated to believe the conclusions of sound arguments! So, if you ever come across an argument that you think is sound, but whose conclusion you don't believe, then either one (or more) of the premises is false, or it is invalid (that is, there is some way for the premises to be true yet for the conclusion to be false), or both.

This means, of course, that you have to evaluate each premise and each (sub-)argument, and, as usual, I also want you to evaluate the conclusion independently of whether you think that it follows validly or doesn't follow validly from its premises.

Ground Rules

1. For this position paper, I want to experiment with something a little bit different.

   Instead of writing a first draft of your paper, I simply want you to fill in the Position Paper 4 "Thinksheet", which will be an outline of your argument analysis.

   You will write the paper after peer-editing the thinksheets.

2. Please bring 5 copies of your filled-out thinksheet to lecture on the due date.

Suggestions and Guidelines for Peer-Group Editing

1. 1. When you get into your small groups, introduce yourselves quickly, and share copies of your thinksheets with each other.

   2. Choose one thinksheet to discuss first.
      (Suggestion: Go in alphabetical order by family name.)

   3. After spending about 10–15 minutes on the first thinksheet, move on to the next, going back to step 2, above, changing roles. Spend no more than 15 minutes per paper (because you've only got about 45 minutes at most). Perhaps one member of the group can be a timekeeper.

2. 1. Make sure each "cell" of the thinksheet is filled in.
      1. The cells in the "Agree? (T?F?)" column should be filled in with 'agree' or 'disagree' (or 'T' or 'F').

      2. The cells in the "Why?" column should contain a reason why the author agrees or disagrees with the statement, or why the author thinks that the argument is valid or invalid. These don't have to be complete sentences, but they should be comprehensible.

   2. Keep a written record of the peer-editing suggestions.
      This will be useful to the author, for revision.

3. The "revision" this time should, of course, be a correctly formatted paper, like the ones you have been writing all semester.
   1. It should be fairly straightforward to turn the thinksheet outline into full sentences and paragraphs (with correct citations if needed).

   2. I strongly urge you to have someone peer-edit your paper before you produce the final version! Tell that person to make sure that you have:
      1. Evaluated each statement (premise and conclusion) for ("absolute" or "independent") truth or falsity (see §2.5.1 of the book about that terminology) and given a reason for your evaluation. \item Evaluated each argument for validity or invalidity (that is, evaluated each conclusion for "relative truth", that is, truth relative to the premises), and given a reason for your evaluation.

      2. Correctly used the 'true'/'false'/'valid'/'invalid' terminology.

   3. Failure to correctly distinguish among "true (or false) sentences, propositions, statements, premises, or conclusions" and "valid (or invalid) arguments" will result in a lower grade! (After all, you need to demonstrate that you've learned something this semester!)

4. 1. Your position paper should be approximately 1–2 typed pages, double-spaced (that is, about 250–500 words), and single-sided.

   2. At the top of the first page, please put the following information:
      1. the title "Position Paper #4"
      2. your name
      3. the course you are enrolled in
      4. the due date.

   3. Please attach the peer-edited thinksheets to your paper, as usual.

   4. For general assistance with writing (including my preferred method of paper preparation and format, as well as advice on grammar), see my website "How to Write"

      As before, no abstract is needed for this position paper, but you do need to give full citations to any sources that you cite.