20080828
Gerald J Sussman at Don Friedman's 60th Birthday Party
Original video here.
DECLARATIVE KNOWLEDGE
What is True
IMPERATIVE KNOWLEDGE
Find an Approximation to f(x)
Make Guess (G)
Improve Guess by averaging G and (f(x))/G
Recur until G good enough
Computer languages
I can say some things more precisely than before
CELESTIAL MECHANICS
Chaotic Motion shown by machine
I've learned a lot, and I'd like to tell you the things I've learned
Structure and Interpretations of Classical Mechanics
Mathematical Notation Fundamentally sucks
cos^2(x)
cos^-1(x) /= 1/(cos(x))
Mathematical notation is an impressionistic natural language.
Mathematicians haven't been clear because they don't have a good language.
No good for teaching elementary stuff.
Right answers by wrong arguments.
Understanding ideas /= Manipulating symbols
FUNCTIONAL PROGRAMMING
Requires precision.
Write a program to explain things.
precise
formal
~overly rigorous
Edgar Allen Poe The Philosophy of Composition 1846
Minsky Paper Title
MINDSTORMS: Children, Computers, and Powerful Ideas by Seymour Papert
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1 comment:
My philosophy professor was short, fat, balding but somehow with long crazy hair, who wore flip-flops to class everyday, even winter. On yes! And he was Australian and wore Australian tourist t-shirts also everyday without fail.
The End.
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