#📌paradigm This may refer to several things. First, there is a fundamental compendium, [The Art of Computer Programming](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Art_of_Computer_Programming), written by a prominent mathematician and algorithmist, Donald Knuth. Second, this is a tradition, supported by the mentioned seminal book, of thinking about programming and, generally, about engineering as a [_tékhnē_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Techne), an Ancient Greek notion that can be vaguely translated as an art of doing. Referring to engineering as an art, we do not mean it is a form of self-expression or creativity in the naïve sense of positive psychology. Instead, we imply that this practice can't be reduced to purely technological or algorithmic procedures. There is always a place for contingency, decision, and, therefore, responsibility. We usually think about programming as an art when we consider that such practice constantly deals with trade-offs that are impossible to measure precisely at the moment when the decision should be made. Following this logic, programming-as-art can't be transformed into science but can be and should be properly criticized, both from the practical (ethical outcome and result to which the programmer commits) and artistic (craftsmanship) perspectives. Another aspect of thinking about programming as a _tékhnē_ is that this notion is less concerned about the creative part of art but rather with its ability to reveal and uphold the already existing order of things. This is related to the observation that the way a company writes its code can say a lot about relations between the people within this company or the principles these people are guided by. --- <font style="color: #F86759">Contributors:</font> *[[Mykhailo]]* <font style="color: #F86759">Last edited:</font> *2024-03-27*