Alpha Geek

The value of someone doing something different, from a different perspective, is huge. They don't have to be right or successful to have a lasting impact on society.

It doesn't matter the scale, challenging the establishment is difficult and uncommon.

Re: Alpha Geek

#6

Post by markkat » Thu, Jun 09, 2011, 1:23 AM UTC

History isn't easily convinced.

Re: Alpha Geek

#7

Post by kunjaan » Thu, Jun 09, 2011, 1:52 AM UTC

riffer wrote: post #3

nvictor wrote: post #2

always reminds me of the most rated comment his book got on amazon...

http://www.amazon.com/review/RUGSCP3XBNBUV/ref=cm_cr_dp_perm...

Can you guys recommend other books on CS that touch on the topics mentioned in the review?

Re: Alpha Geek

#8

Post by derekp7 » Thu, Jun 09, 2011, 2:12 AM UTC

In the article, Dr. Wolfram claims that computer programs, not mathematics, is the best way to model the universe. However, hasn't Lambda Calculus (and therefore functional programming) shown that the two are the same?

Re: Alpha Geek

#9

Post by jgershen » Thu, Jun 09, 2011, 2:25 AM UTC

I came across Scott Aaronson's review of NKS a few days ago and loved it: http://arxiv.org/abs/quant-ph/0206089.

I would recommend reading that to anyone who is also looking at Wolfram's work.

Re: Alpha Geek

#10

Post by knowtheory » Thu, Jun 09, 2011, 2:26 AM UTC

derekp7 wrote: post #8

In the article, Dr. Wolfram claims that computer programs, not mathematics, is the best way to model the universe. However, hasn't Lambda Calculus (and therefore functional programming) shown that the two are the same?

Well, Wolfram's thesis is that analytical representation is not the correct frame for modeling the world, and algorithmic/procedural representation (e.g. simulation) is the correct method.

This isn't particularly novel, but it is a key insight of computer science. I just don't think that Wolfram deserves credit for it.

Edit for clarification: The key insight being that you can model things algorithmically. Whether it's "correct" or not is a different matter. But this type of modeling is different from analytical modeling.