Programming language theory Thinking the unthinkable

Tomas Petricek

Presented at PPIG 2016

Our thinking is shaped by basic assumptions that we rarely question. Such assumptions exist at multiple levels. Foucault’s episteme grounds knowledge within a particular epoch; Kuhn’s research paradigms determine how scientists of a given discipline approach problems and Lakatos’ research programmes provide undisputable assumptions followed by a group of scientists.

In this paper, we attempt to uncover some of these hidden assumptions in the area of programming language research. What are some of the hidden assumptions that we never question and that determine how programming languages are designed? And what might the world look like if we based our thinking or scientific method on different basic principles?

Draft and more information

• Download the PPIG 2016 paper (PDF)
• Talk slides from PPIG 2016

Comments are welcome!

If you have any comments, suggestions or related ideas, I'll be happy to hear from you! Send me an email at tomas@tomasp.net or get in touch via Twitter at @tomaspetricek.