☞ The Humanistic Computation Project
A reading list for computing as liberal art
In anticipation of my forthcoming book The Magic of Code, I’ve created a list (of course!) geared towards what I am calling Humanistic Computation. This is sort of a recommended reading list of books and articles that explore various aspects of “computation as liberal art.”
From the list page (which is in turn adapted from my “Computation as Philology”):
Computation is a kind of universal solvent. In studying computation, you are not simply thinking about the nature of for-loops, or data structures, or databases. By taking the nature of computation seriously, you are able to interrogate the nature of language and how humans think, as well as the limits of mathematics. Insights into computation address profound aspects of biology or even philosophy. When we model the world in silico, simulation can help us think about the complex nature of how we build scientific models, or even reality itself. And dwelling on computation also draws in the humanities, whether it’s literary analysis and biblical studies, or code as magic, the history of ideas, or even Greek mythology.
Computation has the ability to provide a uniquely unifying framework, exerting a massive centripetal force on ideas and fields of knowledge. We must nurture its connective power. So what is the field that focuses on this power, one that is essentially a mashup of computer science, the humanities, and a sprinkling of the sciences both natural and social? It might be what I termed logismics. Or we could simply refer to it as humanistic computation, or even the liberal art of computing. But whatever we call it, this page is designed to act as a resource (and living syllabus) for exploring this burgeoning field.
Check out the Humanistic Computation Project (and please feel free to suggest other books and articles to include!). ■
The Enchanted Systems Roundup
Here are some links worth checking out that touch on the complex systems of our world (both built and natural):
🜸 The world of tomorrow: “For progress to be appealing, it must offer room for diverse pursuits and identities, permitting communities with different commitments and values to enjoy a landscape of pluralism without devolving into mutually hostile tribes. The ideal of the one best way passed long ago. It was glamorous in its day but glamour is an illusion.”
🝳 The Dream Machine: “I recently started working at Renaissance Philanthropy. It’s a new organization, and most people I’ve met haven’t heard of it. So I thought I’d explain, in my own words and speaking for myself rather than my employers, what we (and I) are trying to do here.”
🝤 Draw all roads in a city at once
🜹 Materials and Manufacturing Underpin Civilization: “To be maximally provocative: the materials in the device you’re reading this on and the processes that create and assemble them are more important to progress than the smallpox vaccine.”
🝊 A game for comparing different coding fonts
🜸 Inside Zildjian, a 400-year-old cymbal-making company in Massachusetts: “From symphonies to rock music, marching bands and advertising jingles — we hear Zildjian cymbals everywhere. Drummers across the globe know that name because it’s emblazoned on every gleaming disc. What’s less known is the Zildjian family has been making their famous cymbals — with a secret process — for more than 400 years.”
Until next time.