Technology Management: Triumphs and Failures

Abstract

This paper argues that the threefold division of human cultures, common in anthropology, into primitive, oriental, and western, is at its core the same as the distinction made in computer science between imperative, declarative, and dynamic programming methods. Underlying both triplets is an abstract scheme, traceable through history, by which humans perceive the consistency of information. To describe this scheme three terms are introduced. In ‘instructionism’ all entities of information are independent and no formal structure limits their meaning. In ‘inventionism’ all entities of information are forced into a single, permanent structure. ‘Adaptivism’, too, demands structure, but this structure is dynamic and may be revised if deemed necessary. The threefold scheme gives a comprehensive view of how humans deal with information and also contributes to an understanding of several philosophical issues in (computer) science.