First, I will provide an overview of some of my research questions in the history and philosophy of science (primarily physics), for which the application of computational tools seemed promising. I will then introduce the tools that my collaborators and I chose to use, and present the outcomes of our investigations. I will also deliberately include attempts which have (so far) not come to fruition. These may help us to develop an understanding of which kinds of research questions can be best tackled with computational tools, and of the difficulties that may arise despite bright prospects. Based on this selection of concrete examples, I will attempt to develop some theoretical reflections on computational history and philosophy of science and address questions such as:

What kinds of tools do we have in mind when we speak of digital or computational tools? Clearly, the simple fact that a computer is used is not a sufficient condition.

What function do computational tools have in our philosophical research workflow exactly? Are they more than just heuristics?

Trust in the tools: Under what conditions are we willing to accept the results of computational methods without verifying them through close reading?