Is computer science the right name?

14 November 2019

Tags: SICP ramblings

In this post I am not going to be technical, but I am willing to offer some food for thought. As you may have noticed, I have been enthralled by the masterpiece Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs ^[1]. In the very first video lecture ^[2] Prof. Abelson begins the lesson by stating something very interesting. He claims that computer science is actually not an apt name for such discipline. First off, it is not really science, rather it is engineering or art. Secondly, it is not about computers. Abelson goes on comparing it with other disciplines, stating that computer science is about computers as much as geometry is about measurement instruments or biology about microscopes. I end the post with the following quote to reflect on:

"When a field is just getting started, it’s easy to confuse the essence of the field with its tools."

— Hal Abelson

1. https://mitpress.mit.edu/sites/default/files/sicp/full-text/book/book-Z-H-10.html

2. https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/electrical-engineering-and-computer-science/6-001-structure-and-interpretation-of-computer-programs-spring-2005/video-lectures/1a-overview-and-introduction-to-lisp/

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