Is Programming an Art or Science?

A

ASHOOR

Administrator
Staff member
If you have done any programming before, would you classify it more as an art or science? different people answer this question differently.

I really think it is science for various reasons:

-It tries to invent a solution for a certain problem.
-It uses rules and logic, some thing which science does.
-Just like science, there is constant work to develop the knowledge that is already known.

WHAT DO YOU GUYS THINK?

ASHOOR
 
Definition of art-

"The products of human creativity"

"The creation of beautiful or significant things"

"A superior skill that you can learn by study and practice and observation"


Definition of Science-

"Ability to produce solutions in some problem domain"

"Systemized knowledge derived through experimentation, observation, and study. Also, the methodology used to acquire this knowledge"

I'd say it's art and science. It really cant be put into one or the other.
 
its definately not science, i guess it can lean towards an art form, like singing. yell the right tunes and u make music. much like programming u put the lines in a certain way and the program runs without any annoying crashes or bugs.
 
Alchemist said:
scientific art?
Click to expand...

That is I just wanted to say hehe.

I think it's a mix. Because you can use your onw creativity. You can make it like you want to. And with all the new techniques you can do a lot.
 
I'd say it's an art. Programmng is one of those things where for some people it's extremly difficult while it comes out naturally for others. Just like this -> :artist:

Another way to think of it is as a peace of painting or even a poem. Anyone can just copy the final painting but that doesn't make them an artist. Any one can read and analyse the poem but that wouldn't make them poets. Similar to programming. If for example, you just created a really fast, simple and efficient algorithm to sort data. Now, your a true genious and a true artist for comming up with such a clever and creative solution. But, any programmer who looks at your solution, will be able to follow it as well as understand it perfectly. However, understanding it doesn't make them real programmers (if anything, it proves they can follow instructions clearly). In science however, your a scientist for simply understanding what science teaches.

hmm...you can probably apply the same logic to science i guess... :bash: lol
 
L33tKevin said:
Definition of art-

"The products of human creativity"

"The creation of beautiful or significant things"

"A superior skill that you can learn by study and practice and observation"


Definition of Science-

"Ability to produce solutions in some problem domain"

"Systemized knowledge derived through experimentation, observation, and study. Also, the methodology used to acquire this knowledge"

I'd say it's art and science. It really cant be put into one or the other.
Click to expand...


with the above quote, i would say yes, programming is an art of science...

however, i think programming is more of an art of technology.
 
Programming is not a science. For something to be scientific, you need a hypothesis with a testable prediction. Once you've tested your prediction and you have results, you develop a reasoning to explain the results and you come to a conclusion.

For example: Hypothesis => plants need light to grow. Prediction: if i put a plant in a dark room, it won't grow. So then you go and get some plants, put some in a well lit room (control) and some in a dark room (experimental). You find that only the control grew. You conclude that you failed to reject your hypothesis (which doesn't necessarily mean that plants need light to grow, but you can't rule it out). That's what we call the scientific method, and all science has to comply with the scientific method.

That said, programming has nothing to do with science.
 
programming CAN be related to science in a way because they both have problems, both can be solved and both are tested!


however i think science deals more with life, planet, creations meanwhile programming deals more with technology!
 
What programmers and artists have in common is that they?re both makers. They both try to make good things. Programmers need to understand the theory of computation as much as painters need to understand paint chemistry. Great software requires a devotion to beauty. If you look inside good software, you?ll find parts that are beautiful. Likewise if you look at good art such as that of Leonardo, you?ll find beauty.
 
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