Wiegel, V. (Vincent)
Research profile
Vincent Wiegel has finished his PhD thesis with the 3TU.Centre for Ethics and Technology. It is titled ‘SophoLab; Experimental Computational Philosophy’. In this thesis, it is investigated to which extend we can equip artificial agents with moral reasoning capacity.
Vincent Wiegel now works as a part-time researcher (post-doc), and as consultant in industry (o.a. financial services, FMCG, IT). His research contains several strands (keywords: morality for robots and computers, modelling complex business rules (privacy, SOX) for execution purposes, moral philosophy, ICT, business rules).
In a joined research project with KPN, TNO and TU Delft he looks into the question how deep (moral) values are to be incorporated in the innovation process. This process strechtes from the requirement engineering, the modeling and design, to the implementation. His main associate in this research is Luuk Simons.
What does it take to create an artificial agent – a robot, a computer(network) – that is capable of some form of moral reasoning? What level of moral reasoning is attainable given our current understanding of morality and the current technology available? Using a modal logic framework DETAIL – developed by Gert-Jan Lokhorst en Jeroen van den Hoven – Bratman’s BDI model and multi-agent software systems artificial agents are created that display some basic form of moral behaviour. These components are joined in SophoLab, a laboratory for philosophical experimentation, set-up by Vincent. Vincent developed a methodology for philosophical experiments.
How can the above be used to facilitate organizations dealing with complex systems of rules, such a privacy regulations, Sarbanes-Oxley-Act? By using the above approach it is easier to model, check and implement these complex regulations.
The Dutch media have paid attention to Vincent’s work on artificial agents and morality on several occasions. See VolZin (29 June 2007), VPRO Noorderlicht (8 May 2007), Filosofie Magazine (May 2007) and Teleac Radio (15 May 2007).
3TU.Ethics Projects
SophoLab: Experimental Computational Philosophy
Scientific publications (selection)
Wiegel, V., and J. van den Berg. 2007. Experimental Computational Philosophy: Shedding New Lights on Old Philosophical Detates. Paper read at of the 19th Belgian-Dutch Conference on Artificial intelligence (BNAIC'07), at s.l.
Wiegel, Vincent. 2007. Sopholab; Experimental Computational Philosophy (Simon Stevin Series in the Philosophy of Technology). Delft: Delft University of Technology (PhD thesis).
Wiegel, V., M.J. van den Hoven, and G.J.C. Lokhorst. 2005. Privacy, Deontic Epistemic Action Logic and Software Agents: An Executable Approach to Modeling Moral Constraints in Complex Informational Relationships. Paper read at Ethics of new information technologies: proceedings of CEPE2005, at Enschede, Netherlands.available online
Wiegel, V., M.J. van den Hoven, and G.J.C. Lokhorst. 2005. Privacy, Deontic Epistemic Action Logic and Software Agents. Ethics and Information Technology, 251-264.available online
