Edsger W. Dijkstra’s “On the cruelty of really teaching computing science” discusses the challenges of teaching computing due to its fundamentally radical nature. He criticizes the reliance on metaphors, analogies, and gradualism in education, which hinder true understanding of computing’s discrete, hierarchical, and novel complexities. He argues that these radical novelties in computing are often denied or misunderstood, leading to ineffective practices like “software engineering” and the misuse of tools. Dijkstra advocates for a more rigorous, mathematical approach to teaching and understanding computing.
TLDR
Edsger W. Dijkstra’s “On the cruelty of really teaching computing science” discusses the challenges of teaching computing due to its fundamentally radical nature. He criticizes the reliance on metaphors, analogies, and gradualism in education, which hinder true understanding of computing’s discrete, hierarchical, and novel complexities. He argues that these radical novelties in computing are often denied or misunderstood, leading to ineffective practices like “software engineering” and the misuse of tools. Dijkstra advocates for a more rigorous, mathematical approach to teaching and understanding computing.