When I read a book, regardless of topic I often find some parts of it that resonate with my understanding of Mathematics and computer science. One book that I read recently is a glaring exception: "Washington rules" by Bacevich, presenting an interpretation of American military operations in recent history. The book was interesting in laying out its theory that American leaders, regardless of political party, believe that the US have a mission to assure world wide order and peace via their military power. But none of it made me think of any Math/CS issue.
So, I think that political history is the opposite of theoretical computer science.
I'm surprised it didn't remind you of game theory, RAND corporation etc. :)
ReplyDeleteYou're right. The book was written from a completely non-quantitative viewpoint. In a way it's surprising that someone can propose a theory and build a compelling argument to back it up, using purely qualitative assessments. (The author did offer a very negative view of General Petraeus which surprised me and made me wonder how accurate his judgement was.)
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