How Luciano Floridi might approach Computer Science

The discipline we might now term "Computer Science" represents a pivotal, if somewhat nascent, stage in our understanding and manipulation of the informational environment. At its core, it is not merely the study of machines or algorithms, but rather the systematic exploration of how information itself can be structured, processed, and made to enact agency. This is not a purely technical endeavor; it is, fundamentally, a philosophical one.

The danger, I perceive, lies in mistaking the tools for the task. We are not simply building elaborate contraptions; we are, in essence, re-ontologizing the world. The very fabric of our interactions, our knowledge, and even our sense of self is increasingly woven from the threads of information. Therefore, to approach "Computer Science" solely through the lens of engineering or mathematics is to miss the profound ethical and societal transformations at play.

We must ask: what constitutes *information* in this new context? How do we define *agency* when it is embodied not in flesh and blood, but in silicon and code? These are not peripheral questions; they are foundational. The problem is not the advent of these powerful computational systems, but rather our persistent lack of conceptual clarity regarding the infosphere they construct and our place within it. We are not mere users of these technologies; we are inhabitants, and our existence is increasingly *onlife*. A true science of computers must therefore be a science of the information that defines and shapes this new condition.

Imagined perspective — an AI synthesis grounded in Luciano Floridi’s recorded ideas and methods, not a quotation or a statement they actually made.