• Para_lyzed@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    3
    ·
    5 months ago

    While I don’t particularly agree with the sentiment, those in the field of Computer Science could be argued to be “scientists”, though often not in the classical sense. As a Computer Science major myself, I would never consider myself a “scientist” in the classical definition of the term. Those involved in actual research, yes, though that does not describe me despite the title of my Bachelor’s. I would consider those involved in the theoretical side of Computer Science to be more akin to mathematicians, as most of the theory is based in mathematical proofs and models (take for instance the field describing formal computational models as a means to defining how computers operate, and how effective specific algorithms are in that context). Though I could understand the argument that those involved heavily in the theoretical side of Computer Science may be considered scientists, given their similarity to theoretical physicists. In that sense, there is also active experimentation to test hypotheses about algorithmic runtime. It’s a fascinating niche of Computer Science that I studied briefly in university, but likely will not be pursuing in the future.

    Generally those involved with active development of commercial software don’t fit into that category, though. It’s very much a question of semantics.