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Attending to 'Computational Universalism': Practices, Frictions, Events
Sarah R Davies1, Miller Díaz-Valderrama1
1Department of Science and Technology Studies, University of Vienna, Austria.
Social Studies of Science
|April 29, 2026
Summary
This study examines computational universalism by integrating insights from AI studies and Science and Technology Studies (STS). It emphasizes how analytical tools shape research objects and researchers alike.
Area of Science:
- Science and Technology Studies (STS)
- Artificial Intelligence (AI) Studies
Background:
- Critically engages with Lee and Ribes' concept of computational universalism.
- Integrates Suchman's work on the "thingness" of AI and broader STS scholarship.
- Highlights the role of technical vernaculars, digital practices, and event thinking in STS analyses of computation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the conceptual resources STS offers for studying computational universalism.
- To analyze how analytical languages and tools constitute research objects in computation studies.
- To reflect on the co-constitution of researchers and research objects in the field.
Main Methods:
- Conceptual analysis and synthesis of existing literature.
- Dialogue between STS perspectives and AI studies.
- Examination of scholarship on technical vernaculars, digital practices, and event thinking.
Main Results:
- STS provides valuable frameworks for understanding computational universalism.
- The study of computation is shaped by the analytical tools and languages employed.
- Researchers and their objects are mutually constituted throughout the research process.
Conclusions:
- A nuanced understanding of computational universalism requires attention to the interplay between researchers and their subjects.
- STS scholarship offers critical perspectives on the social and analytical construction of AI and computation.
- Future research should consider the reflexive implications of studying computational phenomena.
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