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From: lishka@uwslh.UUCP (Christopher Lishka)
Newsgroups: comp.ai
Subject: Re: Is Computer Science Science?
Message-ID: <269@uwslh.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 24-Sep-87 08:53:54 EDT
Article-I.D.: uwslh.269
Posted: Thu Sep 24 08:53:54 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 26-Sep-87 16:51:00 EDT
References: <5113@sunybcs.UUCP> <6195@apple.UUCP> <5068@jade.BERKELEY.EDU> <1073@aurora.UUCP> <1318@houdi.UUCP>
Reply-To: lishka@uwslh.UUCP (Christopher Lishka)
Organization: U of Wisconsin-Madison, State Hygiene Lab
Lines: 52

In article <1318@houdi.UUCP> marty1@houdi.UUCP (M.BRILLIANT) writes:
>In article <1073@aurora.UUCP>, shafto@aurora.UUCP (Michael Shafto) writes:
>
>> Someone (perhaps Lakatos or Feyerabend) said that scientists
>> know about as much about science as fish know about
>> hydrology.  This is well illustrated whenever scientists
>> quit DOING science and start talking about it.
>
>Our problem when we work with computers is less abstruse.  All we have
>to know is whether we can succesfully communicate if we use the term
>'Computer Science'.  Obviously we can.  Nobody complained that the
>title question ("Is Computer Science Science") is ambiguous.  We all
>understand that the word "science" in the phrase "computer science"
>is not the same as the word "science" standing alone.
>

I've only caught the tail-end of this discussion, but I'd like to
insert a few comments of my own here.  This discussion about whether
or not Computer Science is *Science* or *Real*Science* reminds quite a
bit of a local (and not so local) phenomena in politics here in
Madison.  A lot of liberals (hey, I like them better than
conservatives, generally) go around toting themselves as
*Politically*Correct*, and label those who do agree with their views
as not begin *Politically*Correct*.  It seems to me that this is where
this kind of discussion leads.  Someone will go up to a Comp. Sci.
person and say I'm a *Real*Scientist*, but your not!"

My comment is "why bother?"  Why put labels on another person like
that?  I like to think that research which I will do in the future
will be in the realms of science and scientific inquiry, and that my
friends and other C.S. people are also doing useful scientific work.
Granted, what I am doing now is not really scientific 'cause I'm just
programming for a living (to get through school), but you can find
that kind of work in any of the traditional *Sciences*.

A final note:  I heartily agree with the two comments I've included
above.  As long as the label "Computer Science" works and serves its
purpose, why not leave it alone.  It would seem that time spent
bickering about this sort of thing was much better spent doing
research, or programmning, or whatever.  I would suspect that the
people *really* doing scientific research (whatever that means) don't
care what you call them, but would rather work at the answers they are
trying to find to the unanswered questions around them.

Disclaimer: my thoughts are my own and noone else's, except maybe my
Cockatiels'.

				-Chris
-- 
Chris Lishka                    /lishka@uwslh.uucp
Wisconsin State Lab of Hygiene <-lishka%uwslh.uucp@rsch.wisc.edu
                                \{seismo, harvard,topaz,...}!uwvax!uwslh!lishka