🚀 go-pugleaf

In <Bx5AKy.4C3@unx.sas.com> sasghm@theseus.unx.sas.com (Gary Merrill) writes:

>[...] (just as mathematics is not science,
>though it is considered by many to be "the same kind of thing").

If maths isn't science, than there's something wrong with the 
definition of "science", so it's nothing to worry about if
computing fails to qualify as well - it's in good company.

>Computer "science" is more like mathematics than empirical science
>(even the theoretical aspects of empirical science).  But it
>isn't mathematics either -- though perhaps *parts* of it (algorithms,
>complexity, ...) are a *kind* of mathematics.

A propos of which, are algorithms mathematical objects?

>It seems to me that
>*most* people who are described (or self-described) as "computer
>scientists" are in fact a kind of *engineer*.

Agreed. But every engineering discipline is supported by a science.
Where is the "software science" to support "software engineering"?
Or is this form of engineering a unique exception?

>Whatever computer science is, it is a discipline terribly difficult
>to characterize (and to distinguish from parts of other more
>well established disciplines).

What other disciplines pose such a difficulty of definition? 
It may not be a very unusual phenomenon. Mathematics immediately
springs to mind as another example; followed by statistics,
philosophy and psychoanalysis (and psychology in general, given
that for many years it was fashionable to exclude consciousness
from it altogether!).

>I have been a bit puzzled for some
>time that we haven't started to see papers being given by
>philosohers at APA conventions on "The Nature of Computer Science"
>or "The Philosophy of Computer Science".

-----
Article 1485 of talk.philosophy.misc:
Path: qmw-cs!icdoc!ukc!mcsun!unido!math.fu-berlin.de!ira.uka.de!sol.ctr.columbia.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!ncar!gatech!hubcap!steve
From: steve@hubcap.clemson.edu ("Steve" Stevenson)
Newsgroups: talk.philosophy.misc
Subject: Re: Philosophy of computer science.
Message-ID: <1991May15.165309.28932@hubcap.clemson.edu>
Date: 15 May 91 16:53:09 GMT
References: <1991May15.144501.7703@bronze.ucs.indiana.edu>
Organization: Clemson University
Lines: 22

ury@mossad.huji.ac.il (ury segal) writes:

>Is there anything about the "Philosophy of computer science" (I mean,
>books,arcticles, etc.)

I've started working on something some time ago. There is a smattering
of things which seem relevant (debate over four color proof, ...) but
no ``corpus'' of work. There are some new journals (Computers and Philosophy)
and one by James Fetzer (of ``Program Verification:The Very Idea'' fame).

I have a review of problems in the verfication and should have been in the
inaugural issue of Computers and Philosophy. If not, let me know and I'll
post you a copy.

I do think there's a real need and a real opportunity here.

Steve
-----

>[...]I think any academic philosopher
>looking for a career niche could carve out a good one in this
>area.

I seriously hope that some will do just that.
--
Angus H. Rodgers  (PhD student), | arodgers@dcs.qmw.ac.uk  
Dept. of Computer Science, Queen | [ +44 | 0 ] 71 975 5241   
Mary & Westfield College,  Mile  | "But what is contact? No two points
End Rd., London E1 4NS, England  | are in contact." -- A.N. Whitehead.