Moshe Vardi: What is Theoretical Computer Science? | Combinatorics and more
Moshe Vardi wrote a short interesting essay “What is theoretical computer science?” (It followed by interesting posts on Facebook.) Moshe argues that
I personally do not regard TCS as part of mathematics and I also don’t think that thinking of TCS as part of mathematics is harmful. Certainly there are parts of TCS that are also parts of mathematics as well. (I will try to add a schematic Venn-diagram a bit later.)
(Karp’s committee:) In order for TOC to prosper in the coming years, it is essential to strengthen our communication with the rest of computer science and with other disciplines, and to increase our impact on key application areas.
(Oded and Avi’s view:) In order for TOC to prosper in the coming years, it is essential that Theoretical Computer Scientists concentrate their research efforts in Theory of Computing and that they enjoy the freedom to do so.
Moshe’s article is part of the opinion section of the Communication ACM, where Moshe has a regular column. Let me also mention the European counterpart “The Bulletin of the European association of Theoretical Computer Science”. A schematic Venn diagram of TCS, CS, Mathematics and other fields. Of course, every field represented here by a circle is by itself a complex fractal-like object. Avi Wigderson’s lovely book “Mathematics and Computation” gives a great description of some mathematical areas of TCS with a special chapter on connections between TCS and mathematics and another chapter on connections between TCS and other sciences. See also this post.
