November 2014

Words Are Obsolete

by Bret Victor

"Words Are Obsolete: Explaining and Understanding through Dynamic Models"

Presented at the Kavli Frontiers of Science Symposium, hosted by the National Academy of Sciences.

The means by which scientists think about their work and communicate understanding to others is much the same as it has been for centuries -- words, notations, drawings, plots. These are all representations that were designed for the medium of paper. The computer has improved our efficiency in finding and making these representations, but hasn't much affected the static nature of the representations themselves. We are computer users thinking paper thoughts.

This talk will present examples of "papers" that take advantage of the dynamic "show and tell" ability of the computer medium, where the reader develops understanding and trust in the results by actively exploring working models instead of being lectured at. This talk will also present research on tools for authoring and thinking with such dynamic material.