Things a Computer Scientist Rarely Talks About
Encyclopedia
Things a Computer Scientist Rarely Talks About (2001) is a book by Donald E. Knuth, published by CLSI Publications of Stanford, California. The book contains the annotated transcripts of six public lectures given by Donald E. Knuth at MIT on the subject of relations between religion
and science
(particularly computer science
). Knuth explores the relationships between his vocation and his faith, revealing the unique perspective that his work in computer science
has lent to his understanding of God
.
There is also a final section titled Panel: Creativity, Spirituality, and Computer Science
An excerpt from the book is available at the publishers' website.
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
and science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
(particularly computer science
Computer science
Computer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
). Knuth explores the relationships between his vocation and his faith, revealing the unique perspective that his work in computer science
Computer science
Computer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
has lent to his understanding of God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
.
Contents
The text has a foreword by Anne Foerst. Six chapters (lightly edited transcriptions of six lectures) titled:- Lecture 1: Introduction
- Lecture 2: Randomization and Religion
- Lecture 3: Language Translation
- Lecture 4: Aesthetics
- Lecture 5: Glimpses of God
- Lecture 6: God and Computer Science
There is also a final section titled Panel: Creativity, Spirituality, and Computer Science
Excerpts from reviews
Despite many enjoyable passages, the book ultimately disappoints. While I can imagine that the lectures might have been wonderful to listen to, their verbatim transciption to the printed page does not always work well. A large fraction of the lectures centered around Knuth's study of selected verses from the Bible, but the written version comes across as repetitious, with many uninteresting details. Knuth's analysis of the verses is not deep and not particularly informed by a scientific sensibility. And too many of the questions in the question-and-answer sessions were superficial and could have been edited.
If you are a fan of 3:16 and want to know more about the statistical techniques Knuth employed, his aesthetic considerations, how he translated the 59 verses without knowing Hebrew or Greek, or what he learned in the process of this project--or if you simply want merely to spend time with a remarkable, playful intellect--you'll enjoy this book. If you want to know how computer science might help theological reflection, lecture six can launch you on your way to further, challenging study.
One mark of a good author is the ability to make a successful book out of an unpromising subject. Over the years, Donald E. Knuth has produced a slew of bestsellers on topics that might seem to have only limited appeal, most notably the arts of computer programming and mathematical typography. His latest book takes on a subject so challenging it has to hide behind a coy title: Things a Computer Scientist Rarely Talks About (CSLI Publications, $35). What is this subject that dare not speak its name? Not sexSexIn biology, sex is a process of combining and mixing genetic traits, often resulting in the specialization of organisms into a male or female variety . Sexual reproduction involves combining specialized cells to form offspring that inherit traits from both parents...
, but religionReligionReligion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
. The book is based on a series of lectures on "interactions between faith and computer science." The main topic is Knuth's approach to Bible study through random sampling (which led to an earlier book as well, titled 3:16); there is also musing on the programmer's role as god of a created universe. It's a very unpromising subject, but Knuth is a very good author.
Further reading
The homepage of the book provides errata and further information.An excerpt from the book is available at the publishers' website.