Chazelle: Why CS Theory Matters

Are blogs here to stay? They certainly are for me, and the list of RSS feeds to which I subscribe continues to grow. I read blogs written by economists, statisticians, theoretical computer scientists, software engineers, philosophers, computer graphics researchers, machine learning experts, and I fear it's becoming an addiction.

In the past week, the news of the week in computer science theory blogs I read is an essay and talk by Princeton's Bernard Chazelle on why computer science theory matters and the bright future he sees ahead. It's an inspiring and interesting read.

"No tears please. Perched atop their towering achievements, computer scientists (the cooks, remember?) will bask in the soothing certainty that their glorious science died at its peak. With a tinge of sadness but not a little pride, they'll chime in unison 'There is nothing new to be discovered in computer science now.'

If you think you've seen this movie before, you have. A few short years before Einstein turned our world upside down, the great Lord Kelvin bloviated this gem for the ages: 'There is nothing new to be discovered in physics now.' Not his lordship's finest hour."

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