Story-thinking, computational-thinking, programming and software engineering

TL;DR

This paper explores the distinct modes of story-thinking and computational-thinking, analyzing their roles and limitations in programming and software engineering, and proposes ways to address their fundamental problems.

Contribution

It introduces a conceptual framework distinguishing story-thinking from computational-thinking and discusses their implications for programming and software engineering.

Findings

Identifies two fundamental problems: neglectful representations and oppositional thinking.

Suggests potential approaches to address these problems.

Proposes hypotheses and research questions for future exploration.

Abstract

Working with stories and working with computations require very different modes of thought. We call the first mode "story-thinking" and the second "computational-thinking". The aim of this curiosity-driven paper is to explore the nature of these two modes of thinking, and to do so in relation to programming, including software engineering as programming-in-the-large. We suggest that story-thinking and computational-thinking may be understood as two ways of attending to the world, and that each both contributes and neglects the world, though in different ways and for different ends. We formulate two fundamental problems, i.e., the problem of "neglectful representations" and the problem of oppositional ways of thinking. We briefly suggest two ways in which these problems might be tackled and identify candidate hypotheses about the current state of the world, one assertion about a possible future state, and several research questions for future research.