Claus Beisbart
Biographic Data
| ID | 1286547 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Claus Beisbart |
| GIVEN NAMES | Claus |
| FAMILY NAME | Beisbart |
| SIGNATURE | BEISBART C |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Bern |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-2731-6200 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 13 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 25 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 13 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2005 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 4 |
Reflective equilibrium: Conception, formalization, application—introduction to the topical collection
The Importance of Understanding Deep Learning
Some machine learning models, in particular deep neural networks (DNNs), are not very well understood; nevertheless, they are frequently used in science. Does this lack of understanding pose a problem for using DNNs to understand empirical phenomena? Emily Sullivan has recently argued that understanding with DNNs is not limited by our lack of understanding of DNNs themselves. In the present paper, we will argue, contra Sullivan, that our current …
Is there a defensible conception of reflective equilibrium
The goal of this paper is to re-assess reflective equilibrium (“RE”). We ask whether there is a conception of RE that can be defended against the various objections that have been raised against RE in the literature. To answer this question, we provide a systematic overview of the main objections, and for each objection, we investigate why it looks plausible, on what standard or expectation it is based, how it can be answered and which features R…
What Is the Folk Concept of Life
This paper details the content and structure of the folk concept of life, and discusses its relevance for scientific research on life. In four empirical studies, we investigate which features of life are considered salient, universal, central, and necessary. Functionings, such as nutrition and reproduction, but not material composition, turn out to be salient features commonly associated with living beings (Study 1). By contrast, being made of ce…
Philosophy of science at sea: Clarifying the interpretability of machine learning
In computer science, there are efforts to make machine learning more interpretable or explainable, and thus to better understand the underlying models, algorithms, and their behavior. But what exactly is interpretability, and how can it be achieved? Such questions lead into philosophical waters because their answers depend on what explanation and understanding are-and thus on issues that have been central to the philosophy of science. In this pap…
Making Reflective Equlibrium Precise: A Formal Model
Reflective equilibrium (RE) is often regarded as a powerful method in ethics, logic, and even philosophy in general. Despite this popularity, characterizations of the method have been fairly vague and unspecific so far. It thus may be doubted whether RE is more than a jumble of appealing but ultimately sketchy ideas that cannot be spelled out consistently. In this paper, we dispel such doubts by devising a formal model of RE. The model contains a…
Opacity thought through: On the intransparency of computer simulations
Computer simulations are often claimed to be opaque and thus to lack transparency. But what exactly is the opacity of simulations? This paper aims to answer that question by proposing an explication of opacity. Such an explication is needed, I argue, because the pioneering definition of opacity by P. Humphreys and a recent elaboration by Durán and Formanek are too narrow. While it is true that simulations are opaque in that they include too many …
Complexity in Multilingualism (Research)
Does complexity make multilingualism special? Since there is no unequivocal notion of complexity on which researchers agree, several characteristics that have been considered crucial for complexity are brought to bear on multilingualism. While multilingualism is fairly complex in some senses, for instance, because it requires that many variables be studied, it is less clear whether multilingualism becomes special in this way. The most salient pos…
Grete Henry-Hermann (1901–1984)
Minimizing the threat of a positive majority deficit in two-tier voting systems with equipopulous units
Measuring voting power for dependent voters through causal models
A power measure analysis of Amendment 36 in Colorado
A Utilitarian Assessment of Alternative Decision Rules in the Council of Ministers
We develop a utilitarian framework to assess different decision rules for the European Council of Ministers. The proposals to be decided on are conceptualized as utility vectors and a probability distribution is assumed over the utilities. We first show what decision rules yield the highest expected utilities for different means of the probability distribution. For proposals with high mean utility, simple benchmark rules (such as majority voting …
A Utilitarian Assessment of Alternative Decision Rules in the Council of Ministers
We develop a utilitarian framework to assess different decision rules for the European Council of Ministers. The proposals to be decided on are conceptualized as utility vectors and a probability distribution is assumed over the utilities. We first show what decision rules yield the highest expected utilities for different means of the probability distribution. For proposals with high mean utility, simple benchmark rules (such as majority voting …
A power measure analysis of Amendment 36 in Colorado
Philosophy of science at sea: Clarifying the interpretability of machine learning
In computer science, there are efforts to make machine learning more interpretable or explainable, and thus to better understand the underlying models, algorithms, and their behavior. But what exactly is interpretability, and how can it be achieved? Such questions lead into philosophical waters because their answers depend on what explanation and understanding are-and thus on issues that have been central to the philosophy of science. In this pap…
Opacity thought through: On the intransparency of computer simulations
Computer simulations are often claimed to be opaque and thus to lack transparency. But what exactly is the opacity of simulations? This paper aims to answer that question by proposing an explication of opacity. Such an explication is needed, I argue, because the pioneering definition of opacity by P. Humphreys and a recent elaboration by Durán and Formanek are too narrow. While it is true that simulations are opaque in that they include too many …
Is there a defensible conception of reflective equilibrium
The goal of this paper is to re-assess reflective equilibrium (“RE”). We ask whether there is a conception of RE that can be defended against the various objections that have been raised against RE in the literature. To answer this question, we provide a systematic overview of the main objections, and for each objection, we investigate why it looks plausible, on what standard or expectation it is based, how it can be answered and which features R…
Complexity in Multilingualism (Research)
Does complexity make multilingualism special? Since there is no unequivocal notion of complexity on which researchers agree, several characteristics that have been considered crucial for complexity are brought to bear on multilingualism. While multilingualism is fairly complex in some senses, for instance, because it requires that many variables be studied, it is less clear whether multilingualism becomes special in this way. The most salient pos…
Minimizing the threat of a positive majority deficit in two-tier voting systems with equipopulous units
A Utilitarian Assessment of Alternative Decision Rules in the Council of Ministers
We develop a utilitarian framework to assess different decision rules for the European Council of Ministers. The proposals to be decided on are conceptualized as utility vectors and a probability distribution is assumed over the utilities. We first show what decision rules yield the highest expected utilities for different means of the probability distribution. For proposals with high mean utility, simple benchmark rules (such as majority voting …
A power measure analysis of Amendment 36 in Colorado
Measuring voting power for dependent voters through causal models
Minimizing the threat of a positive majority deficit in two-tier voting systems with equipopulous units
Grete Henry-Hermann (1901–1984)
Making Reflective Equlibrium Precise: A Formal Model
Reflective equilibrium (RE) is often regarded as a powerful method in ethics, logic, and even philosophy in general. Despite this popularity, characterizations of the method have been fairly vague and unspecific so far. It thus may be doubted whether RE is more than a jumble of appealing but ultimately sketchy ideas that cannot be spelled out consistently. In this paper, we dispel such doubts by devising a formal model of RE. The model contains a…
Opacity thought through: On the intransparency of computer simulations
Computer simulations are often claimed to be opaque and thus to lack transparency. But what exactly is the opacity of simulations? This paper aims to answer that question by proposing an explication of opacity. Such an explication is needed, I argue, because the pioneering definition of opacity by P. Humphreys and a recent elaboration by Durán and Formanek are too narrow. While it is true that simulations are opaque in that they include too many …
Complexity in Multilingualism (Research)
Does complexity make multilingualism special? Since there is no unequivocal notion of complexity on which researchers agree, several characteristics that have been considered crucial for complexity are brought to bear on multilingualism. While multilingualism is fairly complex in some senses, for instance, because it requires that many variables be studied, it is less clear whether multilingualism becomes special in this way. The most salient pos…
Philosophy of science at sea: Clarifying the interpretability of machine learning
In computer science, there are efforts to make machine learning more interpretable or explainable, and thus to better understand the underlying models, algorithms, and their behavior. But what exactly is interpretability, and how can it be achieved? Such questions lead into philosophical waters because their answers depend on what explanation and understanding are-and thus on issues that have been central to the philosophy of science. In this pap…
What Is the Folk Concept of Life
This paper details the content and structure of the folk concept of life, and discusses its relevance for scientific research on life. In four empirical studies, we investigate which features of life are considered salient, universal, central, and necessary. Functionings, such as nutrition and reproduction, but not material composition, turn out to be salient features commonly associated with living beings (Study 1). By contrast, being made of ce…
The Importance of Understanding Deep Learning
Some machine learning models, in particular deep neural networks (DNNs), are not very well understood; nevertheless, they are frequently used in science. Does this lack of understanding pose a problem for using DNNs to understand empirical phenomena? Emily Sullivan has recently argued that understanding with DNNs is not limited by our lack of understanding of DNNs themselves. In the present paper, we will argue, contra Sullivan, that our current …
Is there a defensible conception of reflective equilibrium
The goal of this paper is to re-assess reflective equilibrium (“RE”). We ask whether there is a conception of RE that can be defended against the various objections that have been raised against RE in the literature. To answer this question, we provide a systematic overview of the main objections, and for each objection, we investigate why it looks plausible, on what standard or expectation it is based, how it can be answered and which features R…
Reflective equilibrium: Conception, formalization, application—introduction to the topical collection
Computer Science (10 works) · Epistemology (9 works) · Philosophy (9 works) · Artificial Intelligence (7 works) · Mathematical economics (7 works) · Economics (6 works) · Political science (6 works) · Psychology (6 works) · Law (5 works) · Artificial Intelligence (4 works)