4 ms·

Physics maybe, but all sciences? This is is some serious physics determinism --- obligatory XKCD: https://xkcd.com/435/ https://xkcd.com/435/

PrettyPebble 5y ago
You are right - The text should say all "natural sciences".
- IgorPartola 5y ago
  The unnatural sciences are where the fun really begins.
  - PrettyPebble 5y ago
    True!
MauranKilom 5y ago
Funny enough, there's an even more related xkcd for this page: https://xkcd.com/2034/ https://xkcd.com/2034/
- PrettyPebble 5y ago
  Good one!
nayuki 5y ago
> The nine lines contain physics, chemistry, material science, biology, medicine, geology, astronomy, engineering and computer science. I have doubts that these 9 lines describe computer science. As I interpret it, computer science is founded on pure mathematics and is not a physical or empirical science. Computer science deals with perfect abstract mathematical objects like numbers, sets, quantification, recursion, infinities, etc.
- PrettyPebble 5y ago
  Good point - but it needs computers...
  - ianbooker 5y ago
    Strangely not. You can do CS on paper, no need for a single bit-flipping device. Turing did half the field in his head / a thought experiment.
    - PrettyPebble 5y ago
      And input and ouput devices ...
      - ravi-delia 5y ago
        Then you're not really doing computer science anymore, you're doing computer engineering
        PrettyPebble 5y ago
        OK - taken out.
- ravi-delia 5y ago
  Considering that these lines specify our laws of physics only if you grant that math is a thing, you could argue that all of mathematics gets in for free ;). Sort of like how ZFC can't encode basic logic, but you still need it for axioms to make sense
jrockway 5y ago
It's the lowest level. Applying this to, say, medicine is like trying to understand a React app in terms of a Turing Machine. It's involved, but it doesn't help because of all of the extra rules (which are not fundamental properties of the Universe or of mathematics) that we add on top. CORS isn't a fundamental law of the Universe, but all major browsers enforce it, so you have to deal with it.

PrettyPebble 5y ago

You are right - The text should say all "natural sciences".

IgorPartola 5y ago
The unnatural sciences are where the fun really begins.
- PrettyPebble 5y ago
  True!

MauranKilom 5y ago

Funny enough, there's an even more related xkcd for this page: https://xkcd.com/2034/ https://xkcd.com/2034/

PrettyPebble 5y ago
Good one!

nayuki 5y ago

> The nine lines contain physics, chemistry, material science, biology, medicine, geology, astronomy, engineering and computer science. I have doubts that these 9 lines describe computer science. As I interpret it, computer science is founded on pure mathematics and is not a physical or empirical science. Computer science deals with perfect abstract mathematical objects like numbers, sets, quantification, recursion, infinities, etc.

PrettyPebble 5y ago
Good point - but it needs computers...
- ianbooker 5y ago
  Strangely not. You can do CS on paper, no need for a single bit-flipping device. Turing did half the field in his head / a thought experiment.
  - PrettyPebble 5y ago
    And input and ouput devices ...
    - ravi-delia 5y ago
      Then you're not really doing computer science anymore, you're doing computer engineering
      - PrettyPebble 5y ago
        OK - taken out.
ravi-delia 5y ago
Considering that these lines specify our laws of physics only if you grant that math is a thing, you could argue that all of mathematics gets in for free ;). Sort of like how ZFC can't encode basic logic, but you still need it for axioms to make sense

jrockway 5y ago

It's the lowest level. Applying this to, say, medicine is like trying to understand a React app in terms of a Turing Machine. It's involved, but it doesn't help because of all of the extra rules (which are not fundamental properties of the Universe or of mathematics) that we add on top. CORS isn't a fundamental law of the Universe, but all major browsers enforce it, so you have to deal with it.