From owner-cse584-sp07-list@LISTSERV.BUFFALO.EDU Wed Feb 7 13:46:59 2007 Received: from ares.cse.buffalo.edu (ares.cse.Buffalo.EDU [128.205.32.79]) by castor.cse.Buffalo.EDU (8.13.6/8.12.10) with ESMTP id l17Ikxow029386 for ; Wed, 7 Feb 2007 13:46:59 -0500 (EST) Received: from front2.acsu.buffalo.edu (coldfront.acsu.buffalo.edu [128.205.6.89]) by ares.cse.buffalo.edu (8.13.6/8.13.6) with SMTP id l17Ikqfn072844 for ; Wed, 7 Feb 2007 13:46:52 -0500 (EST) Received: (qmail 24666 invoked from network); 7 Feb 2007 18:46:52 -0000 Received: from mailscan4.acsu.buffalo.edu (128.205.6.136) by front2.acsu.buffalo.edu with SMTP; 7 Feb 2007 18:46:52 -0000 Received: (qmail 26518 invoked from network); 7 Feb 2007 18:46:52 -0000 Received: from deliverance.acsu.buffalo.edu (128.205.7.57) by front3.acsu.buffalo.edu with SMTP; 7 Feb 2007 18:46:52 -0000 Received: (qmail 5635 invoked from network); 7 Feb 2007 18:46:40 -0000 Received: from listserv.buffalo.edu (128.205.7.35) by deliverance.acsu.buffalo.edu with SMTP; 7 Feb 2007 18:46:40 -0000 Received: by LISTSERV.BUFFALO.EDU (LISTSERV-TCP/IP release 14.5) with spool id 3218238 for CSE584-SP07-LIST@LISTSERV.BUFFALO.EDU; Wed, 7 Feb 2007 13:46:40 -0500 Delivered-To: CSE584-SP07-LIST@LISTSERV.BUFFALO.EDU Received: (qmail 22918 invoked from network); 7 Feb 2007 18:46:32 -0000 Received: from mailscan5.acsu.buffalo.edu (128.205.6.137) by listserv.buffalo.edu with SMTP; 7 Feb 2007 18:46:32 -0000 Received: (qmail 12767 invoked from network); 7 Feb 2007 18:46:31 -0000 Received: from pollux.cse.buffalo.edu (128.205.35.2) by smtp2.acsu.buffalo.edu with SMTP; 7 Feb 2007 18:46:31 -0000 Received: from pollux.cse.buffalo.edu (ag33@localhost [127.0.0.1]) by pollux.cse.buffalo.edu (8.12.10+Sun/8.12.9) with ESMTP id l17IkVk6028363 for ; Wed, 7 Feb 2007 13:46:31 -0500 (EST) Received: (from ag33@localhost) by pollux.cse.buffalo.edu (8.12.10+Sun/8.12.8/Submit) id l17IkVt0028362; Wed, 7 Feb 2007 13:46:31 -0500 (EST) MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII X-UB-Relay: (pollux.cse.buffalo.edu) X-PM-EL-Spam-Prob: : 7% Message-ID: Date: Wed, 7 Feb 2007 13:46:31 -0500 Reply-To: Albert Goldfain Sender: "Philosophy of Computer Science, Spring 2007" From: Albert Goldfain Subject: progress in science and progress in engineering To: CSE584-SP07-LIST@LISTSERV.BUFFALO.EDU Precedence: list List-Help: , List-Unsubscribe: List-Subscribe: List-Owner: List-Archive: X-UB-Relay: (pollux.cse.buffalo.edu) X-DCC-Buffalo.EDU-Metrics: castor.cse.Buffalo.EDU 1335; Body=0 Fuz1=0 Fuz2=0 X-Spam-Status: No, score=-2.6 required=5.0 tests=AWL,BAYES_00 autolearn=unavailable version=3.1.7 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.1.7 (2006-10-05) on ares.cse.buffalo.edu X-Virus-Scanned: ClamAV 0.88.6/2533/Wed Feb 7 09:20:47 2007 on ares.cse.buffalo.edu X-Virus-Status: Clean Status: R Content-Length: 1328 We were able to have a lively discussion in the wed recitation in attempting to answer these questions (i am posting so as not to leave out the mon group): Q1. What makes a scientific theory T1 better than another theory T2? Q2. Why do scientific theories get better and better over time? (i.e., why is there scientific progress?) Q3. Why do algorithms (i.e., programs as descriptions) get better and better over time? Q4. What makes an engineered artifact A1 better than another artifact A2? Q5. Why do engineered artifacts get better and better over time? Q6. Why do computers (as machines) get better and better over time? All of these questions take scientific/engineering progress for granted, so if you disagree with this, think of some counterexamples to scientific/engineering progress. Ask yourself these questions also: Q7. Is there a set of questions Q1-Q2-Q3 or Q4-Q5-Q6 that is easier to answer than the other set? If so, why do you think that is? Q8. Are the evaluation methods that are the answers for Q1 and Q4 the same methods you are using to answer Q3 and Q6 respectively? Later on in the course we will be considering whether or not programs are scientific theories. Right now, this is meant to get you thinking about CS as a science and as an engineering discipline for your position paper. Albert