On computing : the fourth great scientific domain / Paul S. Rosenbloom.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Rosenbloom, Paul S., author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Computer science--Philosophy.

Computer science.

Computer science--Research.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xxiv, 307 pages) : illustrations

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, Mass. : MIT Press, [2013]

System Details:

text file

Summary:

Computing isn't simply about hardware or software, or calculation or applications. Computing, writes Paul Rosenbloom, is an exciting and diverse, yet remarkably coherent, scientific enterprise that is highly multidisciplinary yet maintains a unique core of its own. In On Computing, Rosenbloom proposes that computing is a great scientific domain on a par with the physical, life, and social sciences. Rosenbloom introduces a relational approach for understanding computing, conceptualizing it in terms of forms of interaction and implementation, to reveal the hidden structures and connections among its disciplines. He argues for the continuing vitality of computing, surveying the leading edge in computing's combination with other domains, from biocomputing and brain-computer interfaces to crowdsourcing and virtual humans to robots and the intermingling of the real and the virtual. He explores forms of higher order coherence, or macrostructures, over complex computing topics and organizations, such as computing's role in the pursuit of science and the structure of academic computing. Finally, he examines the very notion of a great scientific domain in philosophical terms, honing his argument that computing should be considered the fourth great scientific domainches Rosenbloom's proposal may prove to be controversial, but the intent is to initiate a long overdue conversation about the nature and future of a field in search of its soul. Rosenbloom, a key architect of the founding of University of Southern California's Institute for Creative Technologies and former Deputy Director of USC's Information Sciences Institute, offers a broader perspective on what computing is and what it can become.

Contents:

1 The Computing Sciences 1

1.1 What Is Computing? 7

1.2 The Scope of the Computing Sciences 10

1.2.1 Pure Computing 10

1.2.2 Multidisciplinary Computing 19

1.3 Summary 20

2 The Relational Approach 21

2.1 Domains 26

2.2 Relationships 41

2.3 The Metascience Expression Language 57

3 Implementation 65

3.1 Implementing Computing (C/Δ) 68

3.1.1 Physical Computing (C/P) 80

3.1.2 Life Computing (C/L) 88

3.1.3 Social Computing (C/S) 96

3.2 Computational Implementation (Δ/C) 101

3.2.1 Computational Simulation (δ/C) 104

3.2.2 (True) Computational Implementation (Δ/C) 116

3.3 Implementation Summary 127

4 Interaction 129

4.1 Passive Computing Interactions 131

4.2 Influencing Active Computing (C←Δ) 136

4.3 Computing Actively Influencing (C→Δ) 145

4.4 Bidirectional Active Influence (C↔A) 160

4.5 Interaction Summary 173

5 Relational Macrostructures and Analyses 175

5.1 Mixed Worlds 186

5.2 Pursuing Science 192

5.3 Research Institutes 202

5.4 Academic Computing 207

6 Computing as a Great Scientific Domain 217

6.1 Great Scientific Domains 219

6.2 Computing 233

6.3 Best Inventions of the Year 240

7 Conclusion 251.

Notes:

OCLC-licensed vendor bibliographic record.

ISBN:

9780262305280

0262305283

OCLC:

893921401

Access Restriction:

Restricted for use by site license.