▣ Title : Philosophical Perspectives of Alloy Design: From Aristotle to Large Language Models
▣ Speaker : Prof. Hyunseok Oh (University of Wisconsin - Madison, USA)
▣ Date &Time : 2025. 8. 14(THU) 14:00~16:00
▣ Venue : GIFT Bldg Room107
▣ Host: Prof. Hwasung Yeom (Division of Advanced Nuclear Engineering)
▣ Abstract :
Alloy design uniquely combines empirical insights with theoretical predictions.
This synthesis has deep philosophical roots, stretching from Aristotle’s teleological (purpose-driven) explanations through medieval alchemy, and later influenced by Descartes’ mechanical philosophy and Kant’s integration of teleological and mechanistic views. Early materials science pioneers, notably Cyril Smith and Morris Cohen, explicitly recognized this interplay, establishing alloy design firmly at the intersection of empirical experimentation and theoretical understanding.

This seminar explores how these philosophical and historical perspectives have shaped modern alloy design paradigms. The seminar will also introduce recent advances utilizing large language models (LLMs), which significantly enhance human creativity and accelerate innovation by autonomously reviewing literature, extracting essential information, generating novel hypotheses, and guiding computational and experimental research. Ultimately, these developments promise a continuous innovation pipeline, reshaping the future landscape of metals and materials science and engineering.