Heinz Zemanek's almost forgotten contribution to the early Philosophy of Informatics

Abstract

This paper recapitulates some of the most important thoughts and aspects of the early and almost forgotten computer- and informatics-philosophy by the Austrian computer pioneer Heinz Zemanek (1920-2014). From a practical perspective, this remembrance has the two important purposes of preventing our contemporary discipline of computer-philosophy from the unneccessary 're-invention of the wheel' in many of its ongoing efforts, and of providing opportunities for Zemanek-inspired conflict resolutions in some cases where contemporary informatics-philosophical disputes appear to be stuck.