A sociologist amongst the theorem provers

Donald MacKenzie, Edinburgh University

Wednesday 12th May 2004, 6:30 pm

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society, 36 York Place, Edinburgh EH1 3HU (street map)

This paper will discuss the histories of mathematical proofs about computer systems (that is, of formal verification) and of proofs using computer systems (automated theorem proving, the proof of the four-colour theorem), etc. It will explain why these histories are of interest to the sociology of science, will discuss the first litigation centring on the nature of mathematical proof, and will explore the “cultures of proving” within which different forms of proof are pursued.

About the speaker

Donald MacKenzie works on the sociology and social history of science and technology, especially those fields that have a major impact on people's lives: the eugenics movement and its effect on science; the development of nuclear weapons; safety-critical and security-critical computer systems. He holds an ESRC Professorial Research Fellowship in "social studies of finance". His most recent books are Knowing Machines (MIT Press, 1996); The Social Shaping of Technology, edited with Judy Wajcman (Open University Press, second edition, 1999), and Mechanizing Proof: Computing, Risk and Trust (MIT Press, 2001).