3 ms·
Calling these things "computational essays" is a little like calling essays written on paper "ink essays". Computation is just the means. Human understanding is
by Glench 9y ago
Calling these things "computational essays" is a little like calling essays written on paper "ink essays". Computation is just the means. Human understanding is the goal.
I prefer Bret Victor's "explorable explanations" (http://worrydream.com/#!/ExplorableExplanations http://worrydream.com/#!/ExplorableExplanations) because it captures the essence of what this new media is being used for, while also being more general than Wolfram's conception.
- nerdponx 9y agoEh, more like "writing essays". It's an essay in which the medium is computation, not just words. It's a bit whimsical but not that bad.
- catnaroek 9y agoSo-called “explorable explanations” are outright harmful. They make it next to impossible for the reader to develop their mental faculties for abstraction.