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from the math-is-a-language-with-its-own-grammar-and-vocabulary dept.
I-Programmer runs a story [0] which says it might not be math chops, but language skills that make a good programmer.
This makes sense, at least to me. I'm a fair coder, and can certainly count, but would not consider my math skills to be high level. As a teenager, C.L. Dogson's Symbolic Logic/Game of Logic [1] was a great read, but wading through formulas and proofs has always made me feel like a 4 year old.
To each his own. For my main "Human" language - English - I'm a pretty good communicator, and that also reflects in the dozen or so coding "dialects" I've kept up with over the years. In basic training I was surprised to test very high at language skills when I absolutely detested spanish in high school (the teacher had something to do with it) and even after living with a German gal for quite some time now have only the rudiments of that language.
This story resonated because I agree with it, coming around to thinking a good thirty years ago that programming is more of a language than a math skill - just not specifically one for a "human" language.
I treat coding like writing a story, itself a variation of the scientific method: 1) first draft, 2 revise, 3 go to 2 until the screen's output matches what's in my head as closely as possible.
So, at least in my case, language skills being much better than math skills result in a fair ability to program.
The folks at Stack Overflow [2] had a long thread on a similar subject some time back. Soylentils, what do you think?
[0] https://www.i-programmer.info/news/99/13517.html
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Game_of_Logic
[2] https://stackoverflow.com/questions/157354/is-mathematics-necessary-for-programming
(Score: 2) by Mojibake Tengu on Friday March 06 2020, @12:28PM (6 children)
A truly intelligent entity is the one capable to learn anything. Anything.
That's my axiom of intelligence.
In this context, both programming and mathematics are just some special cases of knowledge. Nothing unusual, just specific problem domain languages. Best programs often come from mastering both at once. And I am pretty sure even machines could achieve that.
Now, the real quest:
Can you learn yourself to become a sovereign entity?
Emancipation from all kind of control, that's the really hard problem. If you are not sovereign, you do no better than a machine.
Both language and math excellent skills are not enough.
Respect Authorities. Know your social status. Woke responsibly.
(Score: 2, Insightful) by khallow on Friday March 06 2020, @01:37PM (2 children)
Ill-posed. Some things you can't do merely by learning. You can't learn to breathe vacuum. Similarly, you can't learn your way out of a situation where someone has and uses power to control you.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Mojibake Tengu on Friday March 06 2020, @03:36PM (1 child)
You limit yourself (and, probably more dangerously, others) by pure dogmatism, a chronic illness of conservatists and believers.
As there already exist usable tools for breathing in vacuum, there also exist tools for breaking free from controlling power.
Destruction of such tools, which we witness today, is only ephemeral. If something already existed, it could be reinvented again. By sharing ideas, or by learning self, which means to me solving problems intelligently and independently.
Sharing is lazy, vulnerable and exploitable, self-learning is not.
I am not the first person who realized that.
Respect Authorities. Know your social status. Woke responsibly.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Saturday March 07 2020, @02:40AM
Sounds like my pure dogmatism is limiting you more than me.
And there we go. Tools != learning. An idiot who uses the tool right can breathe air in a vacuum. The smartest person in the world without that tool is dead.
(Score: 4, Interesting) by DannyB on Friday March 06 2020, @06:01PM
There are probably levels.
Dogs have a certain level of intelligence. They can learn things. Sometimes they can surprise you with some minor bit of reasoning they obviously did.
Humans have a more advanced capability to do these things.
Might some alien species think of human intelligence the way we think of dog intelligence?
Humans are generally naturally house broken. Be sure to play with your human. Provide it food and water every day. And frequently get it new toys with faster processors, more memory etc. Your human will love you. You could even come to think they are intelligent.
To transfer files: right-click on file, pick Copy. Unplug mouse, plug mouse into other computer. Right-click, paste.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by hendrikboom on Friday March 06 2020, @08:27PM (1 child)
Can a truly intelligent entity necessarily be able to learn to skate?
Or does it need skates as well?
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Mojibake Tengu on Saturday March 07 2020, @09:46AM
Truly intelligent entity is capable to invent any tools for any possible context.
Respect Authorities. Know your social status. Woke responsibly.