I found the thesis of this essay to be a foregone conclusion. We know that math is a universal language that, as far as we know, is capable of describing every

I found the thesis of this essay to be a foregone conclusion. We know that math is a universal language that, as far as we know, is capable of describing every phenomenon in the universe. And while Computer Science (if you can even call it a science) has had a storied history with mathematics it's not unusual to me to see maths used as a tool rather than the foundation of study. It's the same in many other fields such as physics, engineering, chemistry and so on -- mathematics is a useful tool and nothing more. In Computer Science mathematics is a useful language for discovering and discussing the properties and consequences of algorithms and their computation. It stands to reason then that if one increases ones knowledge of mathematics then one will have a larger vocabulary to work with in their area of study. If you're studying physics then the more math you know the more complex phenomenon you will be able to model and discuss. In Computer Science you will be able to find efficient applications and optimizations of various algorithms and model physical and ephemeral phenomenon with more rigour and precision. However there is a maximum lower bound on the amount of mathematical knowledge required in order to effectively practice programming. That is where I think the meme, "you don't need to know math," comes from in our field. More often than not the primary concern of a software developer is to balance two primary concerns: "does it work as it is expected to?" and "can another human being understand and maintain this?" Having a broader understanding of mathematics will certainly open your horizons but there's only so much you need to know to get by. Most of your "work-a-day" programming won't involve much math at all and is primarily concerned with APIs and implementation issues. I personally believe that Computer Science certainly needs more rigour and mathematics should be stressed a little harder in our curriculum. However in a "hacker" culture rigour is the least of your concerns. The hacker is a pragmatic creature and heavily leans towards asking the question, "Does it work?" more often than, "is this the right way to do it?" See the "New Jersey" school of development (or "Worse is Better" philosophy). As a field I think we'd benefit from a stronger approach to rigour. We are currently mired in a populist culture that constantly re-invents the wheel every decade or so. It'd be nice if we had a common literature and history from which to draw upon as part of our standard curriculum. Interesting article... but I don't think the treatment of lispers is quite fair. :p