Sep 07 2007
Computation as a Natural Science
For various other reasons I’ve recently been looking at and thinking about the discipline of computer science, and how it fits into the spectrum of the scientific endeavor. For some very good modern viewpoints of computation and its relation to engineering and scientific pursuits I recommend the following 2 resources:
A new framework for computer science and engineering by Paul S. Rosenbloom Computer Volume 37, Issue 11, Nov. 2004 Page(s): 23 - 28. An excellent position paper laying out Computations newly emphasized importance as a fundamental tool of science alongside theoretical (mathematical) modeling and experimentation.
Great principles of computing by Peter Denning and Craig Martell. This is a web site which is a compendium of many published position papers on this subject, with much on computing as a natural science, and synergies between computing with the natural sciences and engineering disciplines. (Especially look at the Computation item under the Narrative Summaries.)