On Computing: The Fourth Great Scientific Domain

On Computing: The Fourth Great Scientific Domain

by Paul S. Rosenbloom
On Computing: The Fourth Great Scientific Domain

On Computing: The Fourth Great Scientific Domain

by Paul S. Rosenbloom

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Overview

A proposal that computing is not merely a form of engineering but a scientific domain on a par with the physical, life, and social sciences.

Computing is not 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. 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 domain.

With On Computing, 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.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780262304368
Publisher: MIT Press
Publication date: 11/09/2012
Series: The MIT Press
Sold by: Penguin Random House Publisher Services
Format: eBook
Pages: 336
File size: 13 MB
Note: This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range: 18 Years

About the Author

Paul S. Rosenbloom is Professor in the Computer Science Department at the University of Southern California and Project Leader at USC's Institute for Creative Technologies.

Table of Contents

Preface ix

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 255

Index 289

What People are Saying About This

Ira Pohl

On Computing by Paul Rosenbloom explicates a novel and profound theory of the computing sciences—much as string theory unifies and underpins physics. It is an overarching vista of how the Computing Sciences continues to develop as the fourth great scientific domain.

Peter J. Denning

Paul Rosenbloom goes well beyond the argument that computing is important and pervasive. His startling and well-grounded claim is that computing has become the fourth great domain of science, alongside the traditional physical, life, and social sciences. This book should be on every scientist's desk.

Haym Hirsh

Computing science has transformed the world, yet we can't even agree on its definition or where it sits in the intellectual 'org chart.' On Computing suggests that the reason has been hiding in plain sight: computing can only be fully understood when framed as a new, fourth great domain of science. Along the way, On Computing also provides a wonderful tour of the frontiers of computing, clarifies the nature of multidisciplinary scholarship, elucidates the symbiotic connection between science and engineering, and tantalizes us with how much more awaits us.

Endorsement

Computing science has transformed the world, yet we can't even agree on its definition or where it sits in the intellectual 'org chart.' On Computing suggests that the reason has been hiding in plain sight: computing can only be fully understood when framed as a new, fourth great domain of science. Along the way, On Computing also provides a wonderful tour of the frontiers of computing, clarifies the nature of multidisciplinary scholarship, elucidates the symbiotic connection between science and engineering, and tantalizes us with how much more awaits us.

Haym Hirsh, Professor, Department of Computer Science, Rutgers University

From the Publisher

Paul Rosenbloom goes well beyond the argument that computing is important and pervasive. His startling and well-grounded claim is that computing has become the fourth great domain of science, alongside the traditional physical, life, and social sciences. This book should be on every scientist's desk.

Peter J. Denning, coauthor of The Innovator's Way; Past President of ACM

On Computing by Paul Rosenbloom explicates a novel and profound theory of the computing sciences—much as string theory unifies and underpins physics. It is an overarching vista of how the Computing Sciences continues to develop as the fourth great scientific domain.

Ira Pohl, Associate Dean for Future Curricula and Online Education;Professor of Computer Science, University of California, Santa Cruz

Computing science has transformed the world, yet we can't even agree on its definition or where it sits in the intellectual 'org chart.' On Computing suggests that the reason has been hiding in plain sight: computing can only be fully understood when framed as a new, fourth great domain of science. Along the way, On Computing also provides a wonderful tour of the frontiers of computing, clarifies the nature of multidisciplinary scholarship, elucidates the symbiotic connection between science and engineering, and tantalizes us with how much more awaits us.

Haym Hirsh, Professor, Department of Computer Science, Rutgers University

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