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> math, not science While true, it is an artefact of the usage of the term science in English. For example, theoretical computer science is no science accordin

by wsy 9y ago

> math, not science While true, it is an artefact of the usage of the term science in English. For example, theoretical computer science is no science according to that distinction between math and science.

dekhn 9y ago
yes, CS is misnamed.
- gleenn 9y ago
  I'll probably get lambasted with all the pedants coming out, but I chuckled when someone pointed out that most majors in college with the word science in them aren't really science i.e. Political Science, Computer Science, Sports Science, contrasted with i.e. Physics, Chemistry, etc.
  - pmyteh 9y ago
    In Britain "political science" is strictly the process of applying (social) scientific approaches to the study of politics, with the rest of the discipline simply called "politics". Nobody trusts the political scientists, sadly. There are too many bloody variables and collecting good enough data to build cumulative models is hard. We persevere, though.
    - KGIII 9y ago
      What do they do for reproducibility? I'm pretty sure those types of things, such as social sciences, can be tested and reproduced, but I'd imagine there are ethical concerns. How do you reproduce Hitler's affect on politics and not end up on the receiving end of a tribunal in Hague?
      - Armisael16 9y ago
        The same way you reproduce things in astrophysics or epidemiology: natural experiments.
        KGIII 9y ago
        Got a good example I can look up?
- bowaggoner 9y ago
  CS as practiced today contains elements of math, engineering, and the sciences (though rarely at the same time). I have a bit on this you might find interesting: http://bowaggoner.com/whatiscomputerscience.html#medium http://bowaggoner.com/whatiscomputerscience.html#medium
  - dekhn 9y ago
    I'm not seeing any "science" in CS. I work at a company based on CS, I have a PhD in a quantitative physical field, and I don't really CS as being science. It's theoretical and applied math that happens to be executed on computers.
Ar-Curunir 9y ago
TCS is indeed mathematics, and not science.

by wsy 9y ago

dekhn 9y ago

yes, CS is misnamed.

gleenn 9y ago
I'll probably get lambasted with all the pedants coming out, but I chuckled when someone pointed out that most majors in college with the word science in them aren't really science i.e. Political Science, Computer Science, Sports Science, contrasted with i.e. Physics, Chemistry, etc.
- pmyteh 9y ago
  In Britain "political science" is strictly the process of applying (social) scientific approaches to the study of politics, with the rest of the discipline simply called "politics". Nobody trusts the political scientists, sadly. There are too many bloody variables and collecting good enough data to build cumulative models is hard. We persevere, though.
  - KGIII 9y ago
    What do they do for reproducibility? I'm pretty sure those types of things, such as social sciences, can be tested and reproduced, but I'd imagine there are ethical concerns. How do you reproduce Hitler's affect on politics and not end up on the receiving end of a tribunal in Hague?
    - Armisael16 9y ago
      The same way you reproduce things in astrophysics or epidemiology: natural experiments.
      - KGIII 9y ago
        Got a good example I can look up?
bowaggoner 9y ago
CS as practiced today contains elements of math, engineering, and the sciences (though rarely at the same time). I have a bit on this you might find interesting: http://bowaggoner.com/whatiscomputerscience.html#medium http://bowaggoner.com/whatiscomputerscience.html#medium
- dekhn 9y ago
  I'm not seeing any "science" in CS. I work at a company based on CS, I have a PhD in a quantitative physical field, and I don't really CS as being science. It's theoretical and applied math that happens to be executed on computers.

Ar-Curunir 9y ago

TCS is indeed mathematics, and not science.