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Computer Science's Philosophical Dilemma
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In Short: Quanta Magazine explores the debate over whether computer science should study natural phenomena or focus on artificial systems designed by humans.
In 1969, Allen Newell, Alexander Perlis, and Herbert Simon addressed critics who argued that any true science must study natural phenomena, not artificial ones.
Simon, in his book The Sciences of the Artificial, embraced this distinction, arguing that the focus on intentionally designed systems was what made computer science unique.
Simon stated, 'Computer science has two parents,' suggesting a blend of influences from both natural sciences and engineering.
Dijkstra's perspective, encountered by the author nearly four years ago, hints at ongoing debates within the field regarding its scientific identity.
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- I first encountered Dijkstra’s hot takes nearly four years ago, not long after I joined Quanta as a staff writer covering computer science.
- “Wherever there are phenomena, there can be a science to describe and explain those phenomena,” they wrote, with perhaps a hint of exasperation.
- Newell, Perlis, and Simon addressed their letter in part to critics who argued that any science worth the name must study natural phenomena.
- In his 1969 book The Sciences of the Artificial, Simon went further and embraced the distinction: A focus on intentionally designed artificial systems, he argued, was precisely what made computer science special.
- “Computer science has two parents,” he told me.
Sources
- Quanta Magazinelink