5 Theses regarding Computational Thinking

From printing words on a paper to
3D Design and printing, we've come
a very long way.

My recent posts have been focused on hot spots in the computer science field that I have felt warranted further study and discussion. This post however, will address a much broader, and perhaps more relevant topic: Computational thinking, and the history of it's development. Computational Thinking is a mindset based in “input to output” patterns. I have developed five theses to introduce relevant points of discussion. These range in topics, from the history of Computational thinking, to it's importance in society and education today. Hopefully, these ideas will grow into a well articulated argument, showing that the historical development of computational thinking is also the history of human development.



1. [Policy Claim]
Instead of being viewed as major-only classes, courses based in computer science and computational thinking should be General Education requirements for all college majors, because it helps students develop a new problem solving process that can be applied to any field.

2. [Causal Claim]
Computational thinking, and therefore computer science, is quite relevant to the study of history, because it is a direct product of the predominant ideas of historical ages such as the enlightenment and industrialization.

3. [Comparison Claim]
Computational thinking is very similar to “critical thinking” as taught in liberal arts classes, since both types of thinking can be applied to a broad range of subjects and situations.

4. [Evaluation Claim]
The current social attitude towards computational thinking and computer science is both negative and limited in scope. This prevents society from reaping the general benefits of this perspective of problem solving.

5. [Definition Claim]
Computational thinking has developed throughout history and goes as far back as the printing press and further into history. The development of this mode of thought parallels the development of Mankind.

Generating claims in these different forms has helped me try to look at computational from several different angles. Writings several sentences that identify something significant about computational thinking has also helped me try and develop a sense of what really matters in this discussion. I am no longer just studying interesting facts about computational thinking, I am trying to determine the real impact it has had on mankind as the world has been developed. I'm really excited to keep looking into this, and I hope to have these claims developed further soon.