Our Thinking – Must it be Aligned only to the Given Data?

Zusammenfassung

New technological possibilities in Big Data allow finding unexpected structures and relations in datasets, provided by different realms and areas. This article distinguishes between signals, data, information and knowledge, and discusses ownership of data and information. Knowledge will be considered as the result of understanding information. The results of big data analyses cannot be adequately interpreted if the research question, i.e. the question of what to look for, has not been asked beforehand. Thus, a model is required to perform a satisfactory data analysis. A model, which allows a causal explanation, is better than a model, which delivers only extrapolations. The potential tendency to replace scientific models with merely numerical procedures will be discussed critically.

“True wisdom, as the fruit of self-examination, dialogue and generous encounter between persons, is not acquired by a mere accumulation of data which eventually leads to overload and confusion, a sort of mental pollution.” (Pope Francis (2015), IV, Sec. 47, p. 33)

Prof. Dr. Klaus Kornwachs, former Chair for Philosophy of Technology at Brandenburg Technical University of Cottbus (1992-2011), since 1990 Honorary Professor for Philosophy at University of Ulm, studied Physics, Mathematics and Philosophy. He was Senior Research Fellow at the Fraunhofer-Institute for Industrial Engineering, Stuttgart (1979-1992). Guest Professor at Technical Universities in Budapest, Vienna, and Dalian (China), Alcatel-Lucent Fellowship at IZKT, University Stuttgart (2012). Since 2004 Full Member of the National Academy for Science and Engineering (acatech), since 2013 Honorary Professor at College for Architecture and Urban Planning, Tongji-University, Shanghai. His main fields in research are: Analytical Philosophy, General System Theory, Ethics. Numerous publications; for more see: www.kornwachs.de (in German).