Why is Computer Science Still Called Computer Science?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the naming of the field "computer science" and whether it accurately reflects the nature of the discipline. Participants explore the implications of the term, its relationship to computers, and the scientific aspects of the field.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants question why the field is still called "computer science" if many believe it is neither a science nor primarily about computers.
  • One participant references Edsger Dijkstra's assertion that computer science is not about computers in the same way astronomy is not about telescopes, suggesting that the field is abstract and not tied to physical implementations.
  • Another participant argues that both hardware and software are integral to computer science, implying that courses in the field must relate to computers in some way.
  • There is a viewpoint that changing the name of the field is unnecessary since it is fundamentally the study of computation, which is executed by computers.
  • A participant cites a professor's description of computer science as a blend of mathematics, science, and engineering, indicating that it does not fit neatly into any one category.
  • Some participants express skepticism about the existence of those who claim computer science is not a science or related to computers, asking for evidence of such opinions.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants exhibit disagreement regarding the appropriateness of the term "computer science" and whether it accurately represents the field. Multiple competing views remain, with no consensus reached on the matter.

Contextual Notes

Some claims rely on interpretations of historical statements and personal experiences, which may not universally apply. The discussion reflects varying definitions and perceptions of what constitutes a science.

Monster92
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Many people within the field say it's not a science nor a subject to do with computers. Then why keep it with the name computer science. What's stopping them from changing the darn name?
 
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What would you call it?
 
In what way is it not a science?
 
pdffile said:
Many people within the field say it's not a science nor a subject to do with computers.

Show us these people.
 
When you say it's not a subject to do with computers I assume you are referring to when Edsger Dijkstra said , "Computer science is no more about computers than astronomy is about telescopes".

I think he was just trying to say that it's an abstract enough field where using some physical implementation of a computer isn't necessary to study it. Like most other sciences things are made simpler by removing irrelevant details and assuming a general case.
 
pdffile said:
Many people within the field say it's not a science nor a subject to do with computers. Then why keep it with the name computer science. What's stopping them from changing the darn name?

Computers have two aspects, hardware and software. You can't meaningfully or usefully have one without the other.

I think it would be possible to have a long and complex set of courses is computer science that has nothing to do directly with hardware or one focused on hardware without reference to software (but that would be harder if the courses were all to be helpful in some way) but you have to talk about one or the other. In what way then would the courses not be about computers?

True, study of advanced algorithms often has more to do with advanced math than directly with programming but it is the intellectual underpinning of advanced programming.

I think the people who make such a statement, if there are any, have it wrong.
 
pdffile said:
Many people within the field say it's not a science nor a subject to do with computers. Then why keep it with the name computer science. What's stopping them from changing the darn name?
There's really no point in changing the name...

Computer science is literally the study of computation. Today, practical computation is done using machines called "computers" so we call the study of computation "computer science." What's so bad about this that requires changing? Your efforts would be better spent convincing the world to switch from π to τ...
 
Greg Bernhardt said:
pdffile said:
Many people within the field say it's not a science nor a subject to do with computers.
Show us these people.
As David Snider has pointed out, Edsger Dijkstra had said that computer science is not really about the computers...

It has been such a long time ago that I can't be sure but I think Richard Trefler was my Logic and Computation professor at the University of Waterloo. In any case, that professor in the first day of that class described computer science as being "a strange amalgam of mathematics, science and engineering," and that it wasn't exactly anyone of those three.

So, in all fairness to the original poster, there are distinguished experts in this field who do claim what pdffile is saying...
 

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