The computer science way of thinking in human history and consequences for the design of computer science curricula

Abstract

Teaching computer science offers more than algorithmic thinking (or more general and as recently presented: computational thinking). To understand this claim, one has to have a more careful look at the development of human culture, science, and technology. This helps not only to recognize that the computer science way of thinking was crucial for the development of human society since anyone can remember, but it helps to make a good choice of topics for sustainable computer science education in the context of science and humanities. This leads to the creation of textbooks that do not focus on particular knowledge for specialists, but offer serious contributions in the very general framework of education.