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Simulation vs. Understanding: A Tension, in Quantum Chemistry and Beyond. Part B. The March of Simulation, for Better or Worse
Author(s) -
Hoffmann Roald,
Malrieu JeanPaul
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
angewandte chemie international edition
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.831
H-Index - 550
eISSN - 1521-3773
pISSN - 1433-7851
DOI - 10.1002/anie.201910283
Subject(s) - sketch , action (physics) , romance , point (geometry) , economic justice , epistemology , computer science , cognitive science , artificial intelligence , chemistry , sociology , psychology , philosophy , psychoanalysis , mathematics , quantum mechanics , physics , law , algorithm , geometry , political science
In the second part of this Essay, we leave philosophy, and begin by describing Roald's being trashed by simulation. This leads us to a general sketch of artificial intelligence (AI), Searle's Chinese room, and Strevens’ account of what a go ‐playing program knows. Back to our terrain—we ask “Quantum Chemistry, † ca. 2020?” Then we move to examples of Big Data, machine learning and neural networks in action, first in chemistry and then affecting social matters, trivial to scary. We argue that moral decisions are hardly to be left to a computer. And that posited causes, even if recognized as provisional, represent a much deeper level of understanding than correlations. At this point, we try to pull the reader up, giving voice to the opposing view of an optimistic, limitless future. But we don't do justice to that view—how could we, older mammals on the way to extinction that we are? We try. But then we return to fuss, questioning the ascetic dimension of scientists, their romance with black boxes. And argue for a science of many tongues.